<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Alert the Press, I've Fucked My Boss by Dope1723</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24619996">Alert the Press, I've Fucked My Boss</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dope1723/pseuds/Dope1723'>Dope1723</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Women's Soccer RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, ceo pressi, mentions of abuse, mentions of sexual abuse, mentions or rape</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:21:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>160,957</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24619996</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dope1723/pseuds/Dope1723</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Christen Press is an uptight workaholic that owns one of the most popular women's magazine in the world.</p><p>Tobin Heath is an unemployed carefree spirit. </p><p>They're complete opposites and don't completely get along at first but something pulls them together anyway. That is until Tobin finally finds a job working for none other than, Christen Press, her one nightstand hook up.</p><p>AKA: as always I suck at summaries and just give it a chance! &lt;3</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tobin Heath/Christen Press</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>584</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1549</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobin walks out onto the cafe patio, spotting her friends, Alex and Allie sitting at a table, happily waving her over. She gives them the best smile that she can muster up after the morning that she has had and plops down in the empty seat at the table. “Sup guys?” She greets them, trying not to sound as stressed as she feels. Though, she knows that they can probably see right through her. She’s never been very good at hiding her emotions, especially not from her best friends. She wears her heart on her sleeve and finds it too exhausting to try and act like she’s not feeling whatever it is she’s feeling.</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s not a good thing, but mostly she decides it’s better than lying or bottling everything up.</p>
<p>And of course, they instantly notice the look on her face. Alex just pushes an empty glass towards her before filling it with the pitcher of bottomless mimosas they’d ordered for brunch. They watch her with concerned looks as she downs the first one and pours herself a second. </p>
<p>“How’s the job search going?” Allie asks hesitantly, knowing that’s what Tobin had been up to all morning and it’s probably what has her in a bad mood. </p>
<p>Tobin lets out a frustrated sigh and rubs her hands over her face. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she mumbles, letting her hands fall onto her lap, a frown on her face.</p>
<p>Alex and Allie frown at each other and then give her a sympathetic look. “That good?” Alex says with a grimace. “Why’d you quit your last job again?” She asks curiously. She knew that Tobin hadn’t loved working for her last employer, but quitting had been pretty abrupt. Though, Tobin rarely thinks things through before she does them, so it wasn’t super surprising either. She’s always been a pretty carefree spirit which sometimes gets her into trouble.</p>
<p>“She didn’t quit,” Allie says with a smirk. “She was fired,” she adds, raising a brow at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin winces and then shrugs at Alex, “We had creative differences,” she carefully explains. </p>
<p>“You photographed naked women for your conservative male boss’ website,” Allie says, not being able to hold in her laughter. “I’m surprised he didn’t have a heart attack.”</p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but let out a puff of laughter as well, “His website is trash. It’s all male dominated. He hired me to try and get some more female readers but he wouldn’t let me do anything that I wanted to do,” she says with a frown. “And the way he spoke about women in that magazine was awful. Honestly, I thought he’d like having naked women in it,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>“Yeah well, it was real women of all color and not just in the playboy magazine kind of way that he would secretly enjoy,” Allie explains to her. “He wouldn’t want his misogynistic readers to think that women had any flaws or don’t all just look like they are photo-shopped.” </p>
<p>Tobin lets out a sigh, “I hated working there,” she states with a frown. </p>
<p>“I know,” Alex nods agreeing with her. “But you also need the paycheck,” she says sympathetically. </p>
<p>Before Tobin can respond the server walks up to them with a smile on her face asking if they are ready to order. Tobin hadn’t even gotten a chance to look yet, but Allie and Alex seem eager to eat so she just decides on some breakfast Tacos and hands over her menu.</p>
<p>She looks back over at her friends once the server leaves them and quickly goes back to the conversation they were having. ”I’ll find something,” she says, though her luck hasn’t been great. She had a couple of interviews this morning that didn’t go well. She’s pretty sure her old boss is blackballing her and has told other magazines and newspapers not to hire her. Though, she’d really love to just do some freelance photography, and she does occasionally, but not enough to pay all of her bills. She still needs a steady paycheck and job to rely on until she can build up a better clientele. Or until she starts selling more prints and becomes a better known artist. But, she’s never really been good at networking because she’s not the most social person in the world.</p>
<p>“I know you are trying, but she’s right Tobin,” Allie says with a frown. “I don’t want you to hate what you do but we have rent coming up and I can’t afford both halves forever,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Tobin frowns, knowing that she’s right. She’d been pretty reckless with her last job, knowing that she couldn’t afford to lose it, no matter how much she hated it. She’s happy that she doesn’t have to work for such a terrible man anymore and she doesn’t have to keep compromising her morals for a job, but at the same time she knows that she needs the money. </p>
<p>“Hey, there's an opening at my magazine,” Alex speaks up. “I mean, it’s just an assistant job for our head of fashion,” she explains with a shrug. “It’ll be a lot of grunt work but it’s something,” she tells her. “Plus, maybe you could eventually work your way into getting to photograph some of the shoots,” she shrugs. “It’s a great magazine.” </p>
<p>“Oh that would be pretty cool!” Allie says, clapping her hands. “Head of fashion is Ashlyn Harris, right?” She asks with a grin, and Alex nods, “She’s amazing! That would be really cool to work with her, Tobs,” Allie says enthusiastically. “And she’s right, Re-imagine is an amazing women’s magazine. It’d be right up your ally,” she tells her.</p>
<p>Tobin scrunches her face up, thinking it over. She’s looked at the magazine a few times and it definitely seems like a better platform than what she was working for. It’s a women’s magazine and actually tackles real issues and doesn’t just sugar coat things. Though, she’s not sure she just wants to be someone’s assistant, running around and getting coffee and doing other meaningless tasks. She’s not lazy, but she doesn’t like spending all day doing things that don’t interest her. It’s why she’s never really been able to hold a steady job. She wants to be able to go where she wants and take photos of what she wants, not sit at a desk or do something else meaningless and boring. </p>
<p>Plus, she’s not exactly organized or sure she’d be right for the job. Though, it could be a good stepping stone into something bigger for her. She would love to be able to be a photographer for re-imagine. She knows that she could probably photograph what she wants to and would truly enjoy it. She’s just going to have to suck it up and start from the bottom. “Okay, I guess I could try,” she finally says with a small sigh, knowing she really can’t pass up the chance. A job is a job at this point.</p>
<p>“Great,” Alex smiles. “Just send me your resume and I’ll try and get you an interview,” Alex says. “I know that she’s had a few applicants, but I’m pretty sure I can get you the job,” she says, knowing her status at the magazine and that people trust her opinion. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin says quietly, still not completely confident. And she doesn’t want to screw it up and have it look bad on Alex. But it’s better than doing nothing and she really does feel bad for leaving Allie with all the bills. “Thank you, Alex,” she says, giving her a smile, feeling a bit of stress lifted off of her. </p>
<p>Though, she’s not sure Ashlyn is going to want her. She doesn’t exactly have a resume to be a fashion designer’s assistant. </p>
<p>But, she supposes that it won’t hurt to try.</p>
<p>Tobin leans back in her chair and takes another drink of her mimosa, the alcohol already helping to relax her a bit. She’s been pretty stressed out the past couple of weeks, trying to find a job with no success and trying to manage her money. She really just wants to relax with her friends and not worry about it all for at least an hour.</p>
<p>“Can we go out tonight?” Tobin asks, looking at her friends expectantly. “I could use a drink. Something a little harder,” she adds, referring to the mimosa that she’s currently sipping on. Plus, she knows that she can’t have more than a couple otherwise she won’t be productive the rest of the day. And she has another interview after lunch that she should go to just in case this job doesn’t go through with Alex. </p>
<p>“I have a date,” Allie says with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns, not knowing that her friend was dating someone. “With who?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Servando set her up with one of his friends,” Alex informs her. “His name is Bati,” </p>
<p>“Bati?” Tobin asks, confused. </p>
<p>Alex just laughs in response, “It’s a nickname, his name is Jose Batista,” she shrugs. “He’s really cool and I think that him and Allie will get along pretty well,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>“I’m excited!” Allie says, clapping happily. “We just have to find you someone, Tobs and then we can go on triple dates,” she smirks. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes and takes another sip of her mimosa. “I think I’ll just focus on finding a job first. One thing at a time,” she says with a sigh. “Besides, I couldn’t afford to take a girl out right now,” she says with a wince. Sure, she has some money saved up but it’s not going to last long and she knows she doesn’t need to overspend just in case it takes longer than she plans to find another job. </p>
<p>“True,” Allie smirks. “We can find you a sugar mama,” she winks. </p>
<p>“Gross,” Tobin grimaces. “And no thank you. I can find a woman myself,” she informs them. </p>
<p>“When is the last time you even went out on a date?” Alex asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows and shrugs her shoulders. “I go on dates all the time,” she informs them. </p>
<p>“Meeting someone at the bar and sleeping with them doesn’t count as a date,” Allie argues. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes again. “I don’t really have time for a relationship,” she tries to defend. Though, really she just has a hard time meeting people, other than quick hook ups in a bar. </p>
<p>She isn’t exactly shy, but she’s not a social butterfly either. She sticks with her friends and doesn’t go out of her way to meet new people, not that minds meeting new people either. But, she’s happy with her few close friends, rather than just knowing a lot of people. </p>
<p>Most of the girls she meets at bars just want sex anyway and they almost always approach her. Sometimes, she wishes that she could actually find a girlfriend but she’s fine with just sex sometimes, especially if it’s all she can get at the moment. It’s enjoyable and it’s easy.</p>
<p>Though, the thought of having a girlfriend and someone to share things with and be there with no matter what, sounds appealing as well. She’s always liked being in a relationship more than dating around, she just has a hard time finding someone she actually wants to settle with and who wants to settle with her. For some reason everyone always thinks she just wants casual and isn’t interested in a relationship. It’s probably because she has such a carefree attitude, but nobody really takes the time to get to know her and know what she really wants.</p>
<p>And that’s okay too.</p>
<p>It’ll happen when it happens, is what she keeps telling herself. </p>
<p>“Alex do you want to go grab a drink later?” She then asks, turning to the woman, since Allie was obviously out. </p>
<p>Alex just frowns and shakes her head, “I’m hanging with Serv, I’m sorry. We can go out tomorrow though,” she offers. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and nods her head, “Okay,” she settles, though she could really use a night out tonight. Maybe, she’ll just go by herself, though she doesn’t normally do that. She prefers to not drink alone. It seems a little less sad that way. Plus, she gets bored when she’s alone.</p>
<p>Before she has too much time to consider it, their food is arriving and Tobin realizes she’s a lot more hungry than she thought she was. She’s just been so stressed out that she hadn’t even thought about eating. </p>
<p>“Those tacos look bomb,” Allie comments, reaching over to steal a bite. </p>
<p>Tobin swats at her hand though and pulls the plate closer to her. “No way,” she shakes her head with a smirk.</p>
<p>Allie just pouts and goes back to the chicken salad she’d made the poor decision to order. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen walks out of her office and just about collides with someone, making her almost drop her phone. She looks up with a scowl ready to chew someone out, but then sighs when she sees her head of fashion, Ashlyn looking at her apologetically. “Sorry,” the woman grumbles, reaching out to steady Christen and make sure she’s okay. </p>
<p>“You okay?” Christen asks carefully, taking in how stressed out the woman looks. </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” Ashlyn sighs. “I just really need an assistant,” she informs her. “I definitely won’t ever take my assistant for granted again,” she says with a slight smirk. “I’ve never been so busy or unorganized. It’s driving me crazy.” </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles, nodding her head. “I know what you mean,” she assures her knowing how much more stressful her life would be if it weren’t for her assistant, Mal. “Do you need help with anything? I’m kind of booked up today but I can maybe spare Mal for a little while, later.” </p>
<p>“No,” Ashlyn quickly shakes her head. “You have more to worry about than I do, I’m not going to put more on you,” Ashlyn assures her. “I’ll just make Ali be my assistant,” she says with a wink. </p>
<p>Christen chuckles, shaking her head, “As long as she gets her articles done, that is fine with me,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>Ashlyn nods, “Don’t worry she’d rather piss me off than you,” Ashlyn comments with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, amused with the girl. “Alright, I need to get going,” Christen says, moving around Ashlyn. </p>
<p>“Hey Christen! Me and Ali are having a little dinner party tomorrow night, would you like to come?” Ashlyn asks, which catches Christen a bit off guard. </p>
<p>She talks to Ashlyn pretty often and they’ve grabbed a quick lunch a few times, but they’ve never really hung out before. “Uh...probably not,” she answers honestly. “I mean...I just don’t know if that would be a good idea,” she comments, lowering her voice a bit, not really wanting the entire floor to hear their conversation. </p>
<p>Ashlyn just rolls her eyes, knowing that Christen was going to say no. She’s invited her to multiple things and she always says no. “Come on, Christen,” she sighs. “I know that you don’t really like fraternizing with your employees or whatever, but it’s me. We’re practically on the same level here,” she says, and Christen just narrows her eyes at the woman, making Ashlyn laugh. “Okay, fine we aren’t on the same level,” she sighs, waving her hand a bit dismissively. “But seriously, you are always here. Do you ever have any fun?” She questions, raising a brow at the woman. </p>
<p>Christen looks a bit offended, and straightens her back, putting her chin in the air slightly. “I have plenty of fun, thank you,” she says, a bit unconvincingly. </p>
<p>“Right,” Ashlyn smirks. “Come on, it’ll be fun. Julie and Crystal will be there with their husbands and then of course Ali,” she says with a shrug. “You should come and you can bring someone of course,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns, because she doesn’t have anyone to bring to a dinner party and she definitely doesn’t want to be the only one that is there alone when it’s clearly a couple’s thing. “I think I’ll pass, but thank you for the invite,” she says, giving Ashlyn a forced smile. “I have a lot of work to do,” she says, and it’s not a complete lie. Though, she could definitely afford to take a break. She just really doesn’t want to go.</p>
<p>“Okay, but I’ll email you the details just in case you change your mind,” Ashlyn tells her with a grin. “Now, I need to get going. I have more interviews this afternoon. So far there has literally been nobody that is qualified for this job. Like, I don’t know who is sending all of these people, but I’m starting to think that it’s a joke,” she says, making Christen chuckle. “So wish me luck,” she says hopefully. </p>
<p>“Good luck,” Christen smiles before letting Ashlyn go and then continuing her way through the floor. </p>
<p>“Christen!” She hears a voice call. She looks up from her phone and sees her assistant Mal walking towards her. “Here you go,” she says, handing an iced coffee over to the woman. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Christen smiles. “Did you get in touch with legal?” She asks, going back to checking her emails. </p>
<p>“I did. You have an appointment in 10 minutes,” she tells her, making Christen look up with a frown. “You said as soon as possible and he’s available now. Plus, you don’t have anything else scheduled for another 2 hours,” Mal shrugs. </p>
<p>Christen just nods, not being able to be upset with how efficient Mal is. She’d definitely lucked out with her assistant. “Fine.” She sighs, turning around to head back to her office. “Take this down to Kelley in the ad department please,” she says, handing Mal a file. “Oh and schedule an appointment with Pinoe and her team after I get back from lunch. I’m definitely going to need to talk to all of the social media department today,” she says with a tired sigh.</p>
<p>“Is something wrong?” Mal asks in concern. </p>
<p>Christen pinches the bridge of her nose, “Yes, but it’ll be fine,” she tells her. “Take those to Kelley and then get back up here as quick as you can. I’ll need you to take some notes with my meeting from legal,” she instructs her. </p>
<p>Mal nods enthusiastically before practically running towards the elevators. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>After lunch, Tobin makes her way down the street with her two friends, heading back to their cars. Thankfully, she had found a parking spot pretty close to the restaurant though her friends had to park a bit further down. So she at least had one thing going right for her today.</p>
<p>“Good luck on your interview, Tobs,” Alex says with a smile, pulling Tobin into a hug. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Tobin says gratefully. “And thank you for lunch, you really didn’t have to pay,” she says with a frown. She’d argued when the bill came, but she also knew that there was no stopping Alex. </p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Alex says, waving her hand. “I know that you can pay for your own lunch, but I also know that you are going through a hard time right now and I just want to help,” she says with a shrug. “You are my friend and I love you,” she adds with a smile. </p>
<p>“I love you too,” Tobin says, rolling her eyes slightly at all the affection, though she smiles gratefully at her friend. </p>
<p>“I’ll see you at home tonight? I may need some help getting ready for my date,” Allie says with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and shakes her head, “When have you ever wanted fashion advice from me?” She asks teasingly. Tobin has a great fashion sense, but it’s not exactly Allie’s style. “I’ll be there for you though, no worries. I just have an interview in an hour and then I should be home,” she assures her. </p>
<p>“Okay, love you,” she says, giving Tobin a quick hug. </p>
<p>“Love you,” Tobin replies before jumping into her old mustang. She puts the key in the ignition and tries to start it, with no success. She tries it three more times before the engine comes roaring to life, making her let out a sigh of relief. She loves her car, but it is definitely old and needs some work.</p>
<p>“You need a new car, Tobs,” Alex tells her with a smile, shaking her head. </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns, “Shh, she’ll hear you,” she says, petting the dashboard of her beloved car. “She just needs a little attention,” Tobin defends. It’s just something she doesn’t exactly have the money to do right now. But she definitely doesn’t want a new car. She likes her old car, even though they make fun of her for it all the time and don’t understand why she doesn’t just get a new one. When she had a job, she could have afforded a new car but she didn’t want one. She’s always been pretty simple and doesn’t really see the point in fancy things. Her car still runs and gets her from point A to B, she just needs a little work. </p>
<p>Allie rolls her eyes at the girl and starts heading down the street with Alex to their own cars. </p>
<p>“Alright girl,” Tobin says softly, speaking to her car. “Please just get me to this interview on time,” she sighs, hoping that it won’t break down on her while she’s driving there. Not that it’s in that bad of shape, but it’s been her luck lately. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Alex walks back onto her floor of the magazine and sees her boyfriend, Servando walking out of her boss’ office. He is one of the lawyers for the magazine and when he’s on their floor it’s probably not a good sign, unless he’s here to see her and obviously that’s not the case right now. </p>
<p>“Hey, what’s going on?” She asks, as he approaches her.</p>
<p>Servando just sighs, shaking his head. “Someone is suing the magazine,” he tells her, making her eyes widen. </p>
<p>“Seriously?” She asks, a bit concerned. </p>
<p>“It’s no big deal,” he assures her. “It’s not the first time that it’s happened and it won’t be the last,” he tells her. “I have to go,” he says, leaning in and kissing her cheek. “I’ll see you tonight?” He asks, and Alex just nods distractedly. </p>
<p>She walks over to her boss’ office and knocks on the door. Normally she keeps the door open unless she’s having a meeting with someone or if she just needs some privacy, which is probably the case right now. But, Alex also wants to make sure that everything is okay. </p>
<p>Mal walks out of the office, giving Alex a small smile, and Alex can see that Mal looks a little stressed. “What’s going on?” Alex asks her, hoping that Mal will fill her in a little. </p>
<p>But, Mal shakes her had, “I’ve gotta go. Lots to do,” she says with a sigh.</p>
<p>Alex furrows her brows and then walks into the office and sees Christen sitting behind her desk, her face buried in her hands. Though, she quickly sits up straight, collecting herself as Alex walks into the room. “Hey,” Alex says softly. “What’s going on?” She asks, sitting down in the chair on the other side of Christen’s desk. “I’m kind of getting freaked out here,” she admits. </p>
<p>“Just being sued again,” Christen shrugs with a stoic face.</p>
<p>Alex just raises a brow at Christen’s seemingly unconcerned attitude towards something she thinks would be serious. “For what?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen leans back in her chair and looks at Alex with a sigh, “Do you remember the story that we ran last month about the gay teenager that got kicked out of his house?” Christen asks curiously. </p>
<p>Alex nods, “Yeah! He got roped into a whole prostitution ring just so he could have a place to live and some money to eat,” she says with a frown, thinking back to the sad story. “What about it? Is he okay?” She asks, growing concerned. She remembers him sharing his experience and she knew that he’d been in a dark place at times and she’s really hoping the worst hadn’t happened. </p>
<p>“He’s fine,” Christen assures her, knowing where her thoughts were going. “But, his parents are suing us,” she explains. “He’s a minor and his parents are throwing a fit over the story being published” she says with a sigh. “Obviously, they just feel guilty and are angry that they’re being called out on doing something so shitty,” she says, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>“We didn’t even use their names,” Alex tries to defend. “And they kicked him out of their house and basically disowned him. They don’t really have a right to say what he does and doesn’t do or what interviews he does. It’s his story to tell,” she says, growing angry. “How did they even see it anyway? Doesn’t seem like the type of magazine they would read.” </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs. “It doesn’t really matter. He’s a minor and technically they still had to give consent to feature him in our magazine,” she says. “They never legally disowned him and they just found an opportunity for some money,” she informs Alex. “Plus, I’m sure they’re embarrassed for their actions now that the world knows,” she adds. “They’re just angry and taking it out on us.”</p>
<p>“So what are we going to do?” Alex asks. </p>
<p>“Well we have to pull it from the website. Obviously we can’t take it out of the printed copies that have already gone out.” She starts to explain. “But I’m sure we will just end up settling with them,” she tells her. “It’s fine, Alex. It happens,” she tries to explain. “We write about things that upset a lot of people. Believe me, it won’t be the last time we get threatened or someone tries to sue us. It’s not the first time,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Alex just nods, knowing that’s the same thing that her boyfriend had told her. Though, she had never realized they’d been sued before. It makes sense, but she’s never really thought about it or seen this side of the magazine. Her boyfriend is one of their lawyers, but they rarely talk about work. Plus, they haven’t been dating for that long so it’s probably something that had happened in the past.</p>
<p>“We will hopefully just be able to settle and they’ll get some money,” Christen says with a sigh. “That’s the easiest way. I don’t think they want the attention that would bring them if we go to court either,” she says, feeling confident about it. </p>
<p>“So they kick their teenage son out for being himself and then get paid for it? That’s fucked up,” Alex says, angry. </p>
<p>Christen nods in agreement, running a hand through her hair, “Yeah it is, but there isn’t much we can do about it,” she says regretfully. “I really need to get back to work though. Was there anything else you needed?” Christen asks, tiredly. </p>
<p>Alex just shakes her head, “No, I’ll leave you alone. Just let me know if there is anything that I can do to help,” she says, standing up from her chair. </p>
<p>“Thanks, Alex,” she says quietly, rolling her shoulders to try and ease some tension. “Just make sure you get me your article in by the end of the week, yeah?” She asks, knowing she doesn’t need the added stress of one of her writers not finishing their assignments. </p>
<p>“Yeah of course,” Alex assures her. “Oh, also,” Alex says, turning back around, though she frowns. “This is probably not a good time, but I have a friend that I’d like to recommend for the assistant job for Ashlyn,” she tells her. “She sent me her resume,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just nods distractedly as she starts typing on her computer. “That’s all up to Ashlyn. I trust her to hire her own people,” she informs her, glancing back up at Alex. “You’ll have to go and talk to her,” she then tells her. “She did mention that she was having trouble finding someone though, so I’m sure she will be thrilled if you truly believe this woman is up for the job,” Christen informs her.</p>
<p>“Yes, she definitely is. Thank you,” Alex says, before walking out of Christen’s office. </p>
<p>She walks over to her desk and sees Ali sitting at her own desk across from Alex’s. She goes over to the girl with a sympathetic smile and places a hand on her shoulder, “Hey I just heard about the article you wrote,” she says softly. Ali had been the one to interview the young boy and get his story out into the world. She also knows how much this story meant to her and how much getting it out there meant.</p>
<p>Ali looks up and gives her a tight lipped smile, “Yeah,” she says simply, not really having any other words. She still hasn't fully processed it. “I feel terrible that something I wrote is causing so much trouble for Christen and the magazine,” she admits. </p>
<p>Alex shakes her head, giving Ali’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Hey it’s not your fault,” she tells her. “It was a great story,” she truthfully. “And anyway, at the end of the day, Christen makes the call on what we post and she probably knew that it could get some black lash,” she tries to explain. </p>
<p>Ali just nods, because she knows but it still doesn’t make it any easier. Her name was on the legal suit and she was kind of being sued as well, though it really just fell on the magazine.</p>
<p>“And regardless, it’s good that it was out there and that people saw it. It needs to be acknowledged that these things happen every day. It’s terrible and it causes these kids so much pain and hardship,” she says, shaking her head in anger. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I know. I hate that we have to take it off the site,” she says with a frown. “I’m going to try and come up with another article that doesn’t actually refer to anyone specific but it won’t be as empowering,” she explains. </p>
<p>“I’m sure it’ll be great,” Alex assures her. “Hey, have you seen your wife around here anywhere?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“She was down in the studio doing a shoot, but I’m not really sure anymore,” Ali says with a shrug. “She’s normally hard to find, she moves around so much,” she says with a small chuckle. “Do you want me to try and call her?” </p>
<p>Alex just shakes her head, “No, I’ll just email her and catch her later. I have someone that I’d like to suggest as her assistant,” she informs the girl. “She’s one of my best friends, but honestly I think she’d be great and I think her and Ash would get along great,” she tells her. “She’s a photographer, but she’s willing to start anywhere,” she says. </p>
<p>Ali just nods, “Well she hasn’t found anyone that she likes yet, so I’m sure she’ll be open for an interview,” Ali shrugs. “As long as you aren’t just trying to get your friend a job, even though she won’t be right for it.” Ali explains, though she doesn’t feel like Alex would do anything like that. </p>
<p>“Of course not,” Alex defends. “I’d never jeopardize the magazine or put Ashlyn in that type of situation. I really think that she’d be a good fit,” Alex says honestly. “She’s a great photographer and artist and she loves fashion. She says they’re just doodles, but she’s even designed some of her own clothes,” Alex shrugs. </p>
<p>“Okay well tell me if you need help getting a hold of her,” Ali says with a smile. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Alex says gratefully, before heading back over to her desk. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>After spending way too much time watching Allie change her clothes for her date, Tobin had finally sent her on her way and was able to get some time to herself. She’s still feeling the stress of the day on her shoulders and spending the last hour watching Allie go through her entire wardrobe hadn’t helped much. Allie kept asking for her opinion just to disagree with her and change into something else. It was exhausting, really. But, she knows that the girl was just nervous for her take and Tobin couldn’t really be mad at that. </p>
<p>She walks into one her favorite bar that her, Alex and Allie frequent. It’s just a couple of blocks away from the magazine that Alex works at and not too far from their apartment which makes it pretty easy. </p>
<p>She feels a little strange coming in by herself, but honestly she wants a drink after the day she’s had and both of her friends are busy. She could have just drank at home, but that seems a little more sad then going out alone. Plus, boring. She likes to be out and around people when she’s drinking.</p>
<p>She decides to just sit at the bar top, instead of grabbing a table in the back like they normally do. Maybe she won’t look so lame or lonely if she’s at the bar top. Plus, maybe she’ll be able to meet someone that she can have a conversation with if she sits here. Again, not that she’s the most social person, but it’s nice to have someone to chat with while having a drink. </p>
<p>She sits next to a woman wearing a sleek black pantsuit, looking very put together, except for her wild curly hair that Tobin immediately decides she loves. The woman is on her phone and has a scowl on her face, not looking like she’s up for any company. But, she’s also the only other person sitting at the bar at the moment so Tobin sits next to her anyway, though she keeps a respectable distance between them so she doesn’t seem too creepy or like she’s violating her space.</p>
<p>Tobin orders herself a beer and a shot of whiskey as soon as she sits down, the bartender already knowing what she likes. </p>
<p>While she waits on the bartender, she turns her attention back to the woman she’s sitting next to, just quietly observing her. She’s typing pretty hard on her phone, the scowl still evident on her face. She only takes a quick break to down the rest of the martini sitting in front of her before going back to angrily typing on her phone. </p>
<p>“Another one?” The bartender asks knowingly and Christen just nods, not looking up from her phone. </p>
<p>“You look like you had a worse day than I did,” Tobin comments with a friendly smile. But the girl doesn’t look up at her. Tobin isn’t even sure that she heard her, but the way the girl’s fingers pause on her phone momentarily, let her know that she did, she’s just ignoring her. “Wow, good talk,” Tobin mumbles, taking the shot of whiskey that the bartender places in front of her. </p>
<p>The woman next to her just furrows her brows and glances over at her, “What?” She asks, annoyed.</p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs at her. “I was just saying that you look like you had a shitty day too,” Tobin says casually. “I was just trying to make conversation,” she adds with another friendly smile. “I had a pretty crap day as well,” she says, hoping that if she gives her a little, that maybe she will give her something as well. </p>
<p>“Oh. Yeah, I did,” she replies shortly, before going back to her phone. </p>
<p>Tobin just bites her lip, watching the girl a moment longer, hoping that she’s going to look up from her phone and actually acknowledge Tobin, but she doesn’t. “Can I buy you another drink?” Tobin then asks. </p>
<p>The girl just sighs loudly and finally looks over at Tobin. “No,” she says simply and firmly. </p>
<p>Tobin is a little caught off guard by the intensity of the green eyes staring back at her, and she swallows hard. “Oh,” Tobin frowns. “Okay, I was just trying to be nice,” Tobin shrugs, feeling a bit awkward now under the woman’s intense gaze.</p>
<p>“Thanks, but I can buy my own drinks,” the woman responds, before going back to her phone. </p>
<p>“I’m sure that you can,” Tobin says, and she’s not really sure why she’s still trying to talk to this woman that obviously wants nothing to do with her. “Again, I was just trying to be nice. My bad,” she says with a sigh of her own, putting her hands up, backing off of the woman.</p>
<p>“Yeah, and I’m just trying to have a few drinks and forget about this shitty day without being hit on,” the woman snaps, glaring over at Tobin again. </p>
<p>Tobin just raises a brow at her, and laughs. “I wasn’t hitting on you,” she says, furrowing her brows. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she adds a bit bitterly. Though, Tobin can’t help but admit this woman is gorgeous and she would definitely hit on her. She’s a little uptight and mean though, Tobin is starting to learn. “Though, maybe you could use it. May loosen you up a bit,” Tobin can’t help but smirk. </p>
<p>The woman’s mouth drops and she stares at Tobin in shock. “Excuse me?” </p>
<p>“You heard me,” Tobin says simply. “You’re obviously really tense right now. I can see the way your entire body is tensed up and rigid. And you’re kind of being a bitch,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“Did you just call me a bitch?” She asks, shocked. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs. “I said you are acting like one.” </p>
<p>“Does calling women bitches work for you or? </p>
<p>Tobin laughs and shakes her head, “I don’t make that a habit,” she admits. “But, again, I’m not hitting on you,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>“Right,” she mumbles in return, and once again goes back to her phone. </p>
<p>“I’m just saying that maybe you need to get laid,” Tobin says. “Not that I’m offering of course,” she smirks. Though, she’s not exactly not offering. “I’m Tobin by the way,” she says, realizing she hasn’t introduced herself yet. </p>
<p>“Christen,” the girl mumbles after a moment, clearly not sure if she wanted to give Tobin her name. </p>
<p>“Nice to meet you, Christen,” Tobin says with a smile, before taking a sip of her beer, feeling proud that she at least got some sort of information out of her. </p>
<p>Christen just hums in response, finishing her email and then setting her phone down on the counter. Tobin thinks that it means the girl is finally going to give her some attention and talk to her. “Can I pay my tab, please? Christen asks the bartender, making Tobin frown. </p>
<p>“You’re leaving?” Tobin asks, disappointed. </p>
<p>Christen glances over at her, “As much as I love being called a bitch, I think I should go,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes. “I didn’t call you a bitch,” she sighs. “You have to admit you are a little uptight. And a little rude,”  She says, looking at Christen expectantly, seeing if she was actually going to deny it. </p>
<p>Christen just signs the credit card receipt and stands up off the bar, grabbing her purse. “And you are annoying,” she retorts. “I have to go. Oh and you should really work on some better lines to use on women,” she says simply, before heading towards the door. </p>
<p>“I wasn’t hitting on you!” Tobin calls after her, and she can’t help but smirk.</p>
<p>Tobin just watches her leave, not being able to stop herself from letting her eyes travel down the girl’s body. She has one of the best ass’ that she’s ever seen. And maybe she was uptight and rude, but for some reason, Tobin finds herself intrigued by the girl, and wanting to talk to her more. </p>
<p>She sighs and turns back to the bartender who is wiping down the counter where Christen was just sitting. “Does she come in here a lot?” She asks curiously. She’s in here quite a bit, but she’s never noticed the woman before. Though, her and her friends always sit in the back of the bar, and she doesn’t see a lot of who comes in. She’s normally pretty wrapped up in her friends. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” the bartender responds. “I think she works around here somewhere,” she informs her. “She is always alone and just has a few drinks before she leaves. She always looks a bit angry. I just assume her job is stressful. She’s not much of a talker,” she informs Tobin with a shrug. “She tips really well and never causes any problems so I like her,” she adds with a smile. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, letting out a hum of acknowledgement. “I guess I’ll have to pay more attention.” </p>
<p>“You having another?” The woman asks, nodding down to Tobin’s empty beer. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Tobin nods, pushing the empty glass towards her. With a sigh, she glances around the bar, noticing how dead it is tonight and that there isn’t really anyone she sees that she’d want to talk to. </p>
<p>She pulls her phone out and looks up the re-imagine website. She decides she should read some articles and do some research on the company if she really wants this job. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“So how was your date?” Tobin asks curiously as she sits with her two friends at lunch. Thankfully, they’ve just decided to go to a pretty cheap cafe today that Tobin is pretty sure she can afford. They meet for lunch or brunch almost every day as long as their schedules line up and normally it’s not a problem. But with Tobin being unemployed she’s starting to get a little worried about her spending. And she hates that her friends always try and pay for her. She doesn’t want to be a charity case and she also knows that Allie is going to have to help her out with her half of the bills this month.</p>
<p>She just hopes she can find a job soon. </p>
<p>She really hopes that it works out with re-imagine, but she’s not going to get her hopes up. </p>
<p>“It was so great,” Allie gushes with a huge grin. “Alex was right, he’s perfect for me,” </p>
<p>“Okay, it was one date,” Tobin says, shaking her head with a smile. “Don’t start planning the wedding,” she rolls her eyes fondly. </p>
<p>Allie just shoves her with a laugh. “I’m not!” She defends. “I’m just saying that it went really well and I think that it could really go somewhere,” she says with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“That’s great,” Tobin smiles, “I’m happy for you,” she says honestly. Though, maybe she’s a little jealous too. Both of her friends have their lives together with good jobs and relationships and she doesn’t have either one right now. She kind of feels like she has nothing. </p>
<p>“Tobs, I talked to Ashlyn about you,” Alex informs her. “She said she will definitely schedule an interview with you, but she also told me no guarantees,” she says honestly. “She’s not going to give you the job just because you are my best friend,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Of course not,” Tobin shakes her head. “I’d never want her to do that,” she says truthfully. </p>
<p>“You just have to wow her in your interview,” Allie says, “Which I am sure you’ll have no problem doing,” she adds with a smile. “You can be pretty charming,” she winks. </p>
<p>Tobin blushes slightly and shoves her friend, “I am not,” she mumbles, rolling her eyes. Honestly, she thinks she’s kind of awkward and terrible with words, but for some reason her friends seem to think she’s charming. And so do most women. Tobin doesn’t really understand it, but she’s not going to complain about it. She’s always had a pretty easy time getting women, even when she’s not trying. </p>
<p>“You should take some of your clothing designs,” Alex suggests. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and her face turns red, “What? No way!” She exclaims. “Those are just random doodles, I’m not showing them to someone like Ashlyn Harris,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Besides, I’m not going for a fashion career,” she reminds them. </p>
<p>“No, but you are applying to be the head of fashion’s assistant. It may help if she knows you are interested in fashion and actually have some talent with it,” Alex replies. “You should take some of your fashion photography for sure,” she then says, knowing that Tobin would be more comfortable with that. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods. “I can do that, if you think it’ll help,” she says, a bit unsurely. She’s not really sure how showing her art will help her get an assistant job, but she’s willing to try anything. </p>
<p>“It will,” Alex decides. “She wants someone with a good eye and someone with a similar taste to her own and you have that,” Alex explains. “She likes to get second opinions sometimes and I really think you could impress her,” she says confidently. </p>
<p>“Okay, when does she want to do this interview? Should I call her?” Tobin asks, not wanting to seem like she’s being lazy and making Alex do all the work for her. </p>
<p>“I’ll give you her email. She’s pretty busy so I wouldn’t bother her with a phone call. This is exactly why she needs an assistant,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay, thank you. I’ll email her this afternoon,” she says with a nod. </p>
<p>“This is so exciting! We’re going to be working together!” Alex claps happily. </p>
<p>Tobin smiles and shakes her head, “I don’t have the job yet,” she reminds her, though she’s feeling herself getting a little excited as well. After she left the bar last night, she spent most of the night looking at older copies of the magazine and she’s pretty impressed with what she’s seen. It’s a great platform and they’re trying to do some good in the world which is exactly what Tobin wants to do. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Later that night they return to their usual bar, and Tobin is happy that her friends are actually joining her this time. Though, a part of her kind of wanted to go alone in hopes of seeing Christen at the bar again. But, she knows that she should probably just forget about the woman. She obviously didn’t want much to do with Tobin and Tobin doesn’t want to be that inappropriate and persistent person that won’t take no for an answer. Even though she never actually got told no, because she never actually even asked her out or hit on her. </p>
<p>She was just offering to buy her a drink to be nice. Or so she’ll tell herself. </p>
<p>She’s definitely not going to let Christen be right. </p>
<p>She has some pride too. </p>
<p>But they’ve been here for almost two hours now and she’s still seen no sign of the girl. She’s paying attention to her friends, but she finds herself glancing towards the bar every now and then trying to just catch a glimpse of Christen, but she hasn’t seen her yet. Though, she knows it was a little far fetched to believe that she’d run into her two nights in a row. Although the bartender did say she was in here a lot. </p>
<p>She tunes back into the conversation her friends are having, but just frowns when she realizes that Alex is telling some story involving Servando and Bati, the guy that Allie had gone out on a date with. She has only met Servando a couple of times and she’s definitely never met Bati so she’s not exactly interested in hearing whatever hi jinks the two apparently get up to together, being best friends. </p>
<p>Allie on the other hand, finds it hilarious and Tobin can tell that the woman is already very smitten for this guy. Tobin finds it pretty cute and she’s happy that Allie has found someone she likes so much. She definitely deserves it.</p>
<p>“Okay, I’m getting us some shots!” Allie shouts, standing up from the couch that they’re sitting at. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows at her, because they don’t normally make it a habit to do shots, unless they’re celebrating something. Normally they just come out and have a few drinks and relax after a long day. </p>
<p>“We’re celebrating! I have a new man and you have a new job!” Allie exclaims. </p>
<p>“I don’t have a new job. I have a job interview,” Tobin corrects. “And I have gone on a handful of those the past few weeks and nothing has happened so don’t get too excited,” she says with a sigh. </p>
<p>“Don’t be so negative, Toby!” Allie scolds her. “You’re getting this job, I just know it!” She says before happily walking up to the bar to get them their shots. </p>
<p>Alex just laughs and turns back to Tobin, “So your interview is tomorrow afternoon?” </p>
<p>Tobin nods and takes a sip of her beer, “Yes, right after lunch,” she confirms. She’d emailed Ashlyn as soon as they’d left lunch and surprisingly, she hadn’t taken very long to reply to her. Even more surprising she’d scheduled the interview for the very next day. Tobin assumed she’d be too busy and it’d be a little further away, which would give her a little more time to prepare. Though, she figures that Ashlyn is pretty desperate for some help if she’s as busy as Alex says she is. </p>
<p>“Awesome. We can meet up for lunch and I’ll help prep you a bit and then we can go back in together?” Alex asks with a smile. </p>
<p>“That’d be great,” Tobin nods, gratefully. </p>
<p>“Alright ladies, here we go!” Allie says with a grin, placing the shots of tequila in front of them. </p>
<p>“Tequila? Really?” Tobin asks, shaking her head. “I have a job interview tomorrow!” She says, though she picks up the glass anyway. </p>
<p>Allie just waves her hand dismissively. “You’ll be fine! It’s in the afternoon, plus, it’s just one shot and I know you can handle way more than that,” she says, knowingly. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks and clinks her glass with her friends, before throwing it back without a problem. Honestly, tequila is one of her favorites, she just tries not to drink too much of it. She’d spent the majority of the last few years partying and drinking way too much. She’s actually trying to get her life together now and be a little more responsible. Though, it’s a lot harder than it seems sometimes. </p>
<p>“Okay, I need to get going,” Alex says after a few more moments, grabbing her purse and standing up from her seat. </p>
<p>Allie frowns over at her, “Boo! We’re celebrating!” She scolds and Tobin can tell that her friend has maybe had a little too much to drink, which just makes her laugh. </p>
<p>“Get her home safe, yeah?” Alex asks, looking down at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods her head before standing up and giving Alex a hug. “Yeah, of course.” </p>
<p>“Don’t drink too much. I’ll see you at lunch,” Alex says before giving Allie a hug as well and heading for the door of the bar. </p>
<p>Once she gets outside she surprisingly runs into her boss, her brows raising when she sees her. “Hey, Christen,” she says, a little shocked to see her outside of a bar. Not that she’s not allowed to enjoy herself as well, it’s just that Christen is always so serious and so work focused, it’s hard to imagine her having a life outside of the office. Which she knows is stupid and unfair. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Christen says back, straightening her back and clearly uncomfortable seeing one of her employees out as well. She’s never wanted to make it a habit to hang out with the people she works with. Even though, Ashlyn, Julie and Crystal constantly try and get her to do things with them. And maybe it wouldn’t be so bad hanging out with them once in awhile, but she honestly doesn’t have much time. And really, she’s never been good at making friends. She’s always been so focused on school and work that she’s never had much time for a social life.</p>
<p>Honestly, she doesn’t have any friends.</p>
<p>And she’s fine with that. </p>
<p>Or so she tells herself. </p>
<p>“I was with some friends. I’m leaving now though,” Alex finds herself saying, though she’s not really sure why. She just feels a bit weird for her boss to see her at a bar on a weeknight. Though, she supposes that Christen is here as well so she can’t really judge her. Though, it’s her magazine so she can do whatever she wants. </p>
<p>“Have a good night,” Christen nods simply. </p>
<p>“Yeah, you too,” Alex says, giving her a small awkward wave, before heading down the street. </p>
<p>Christen takes in a breath and then walks into the bar, taking her usual seat at the bar top. She doesn’t even have to ask before a dirty martini is sat in front of her.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>It doesn’t take long for Tobin to spot Christen when she walks into the bar. She can’t stop herself from smiling and completely tuning out whatever it was Allie had been saying to her. “I’ll be right back,” she interrupts the blonde, before she stands up and makes her way over to the bar. </p>
<p>She sits down next to Christen with a smirk on her face. “Hey,” she greets. </p>
<p>Christen turns to look at her and then sighs when she realizes who it is. “You’ve got to be kidding,” she grumbles, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, even though she feels a bit offended at the reaction. “Wow, I’m happy to see you as well,” Tobin comments, the smirk still on her face, not letting the girl’s attitude deter her. </p>
<p>“I definitely didn’t say that,” Christen mumbles, pulling her phone out, just like she had the last time. </p>
<p>Tobin just watches her for a moment, observing her switch back and forth from drinking her martini and typing away on her phone. “You are pretty attached to that thing,” Tobin comments, nodding towards her phone. “You should put it down and actually enjoy yourself,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs again and glances over at Tobin. “It’s work. There is always something going on,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“Ah so you are one of those workaholics,” Tobin smirks, just making the other girl glare at her, though she can’t really deny it. Running an entire magazine has definitely been stressful, especially with the lawsuit and everything else going on right now. </p>
<p>“I guess so,” Christen says with a shrug, and then goes back to her phone. </p>
<p>Tobin just lets out a hum and then glances over at Allie who is watching her. She decides that she should probably go back to her friend, considering she’d drank quite a bit tonight and she probably shouldn’t be on her own for long. “Alright, well I’ll leave you alone with your friend,” she says with a smirk, referring to her phone. “Put her drinks on me,” Tobin then tells the bartender, motioning towards Christen. </p>
<p>Christen’s head snaps up and she furrows her brows, “What? No,” she protests, shaking her head. “I told you that I don’t need you buying my drinks,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>“I’ve got them, alright?” Tobin tells the bartender, who gives her a nod and walks away, not giving Christen another chance to protest. </p>
<p>“You shouldn’t have done that,” Christen says, annoyed. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs and gives her another smile. “I wanted to,” she says simply. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Christen sighs, “But this doesn’t mean I owe you anything,” she feels the need to say. “I don’t have to talk to you and I definitely don’t have to come home with you,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>Tobin just furrows her brows, shaking her head at Christen, “I would never think that,” she says seriously. She’s definitely not that kind of person to where she thinks someone has to sleep with her if she buys them drinks. </p>
<p>Christen studies her for a moment and then nods her head, believing her. “Okay,” she says, her face softening just a bit as she puts her cell phone down. “Thank you,” she then says, surprising Tobin. </p>
<p>It makes her grin widely at the woman, “You’re welcome,” she replies happily. “I really am going to leave you alone now,” Tobin assures her. “I should get back to my friend,” she says, motioning behind her to Allie, who is staring at her, looking a bit impatient. </p>
<p>“Oh okay,” Christen responds, and Tobin swears that she sounds disappointed. </p>
<p>“I’ll see you around, Christen,” Tobin says with a smile before walking back over to Allie and sitting down next to her. </p>
<p>“Who was that?” Allie asks immediately. </p>
<p>“Hmm?” Tobin asks, sipping her beer as her eyes move back over to Christen, “Oh, just a girl I met last night,” she says with a small shrug. “I had to come in alone last night since you guys were too busy for me,” Tobin says, narrowing her eyes, but she smiles at her friend, letting her know she’s not actually upset. </p>
<p>Allie just laughs, “Well you are welcome for that. She’s hot!” She exclaims, turning back to Tobin. “Did you hook up with her?” Allie asks knowingly. </p>
<p>“No,” Tobin answers easily. “She actually doesn’t like me very much. Said I was annoying,” Tobin says, with a chuckle. </p>
<p>Allie raises a brow and then glances back over at Christen, “I don’t think that’s true,” she comments. </p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Tobin asks, confused. </p>
<p>“She hasn’t stopped staring at you since you walked away,” Allie tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows again, not really believing Allie. She glances back over at Christen and sure enough finds her staring. Though, when she realizes she’s been caught, she quickly looks back down at her phone, trying to act as if she hadn’t been looking. Tobin smirks because she can see the blush from across the room. </p>
<p>“I think she’s into you, Tobs,” Allie smirks, nudging her friend. </p>
<p>Tobin takes another sip of her beer, leaning back against the couch. “I don’t know,” Tobin says, unsure. She looks back across the room at Christen and catches her eye once again. This time she doesn’t look away and bites down on her lip, giving Tobin a smile. </p>
<p>Tobin is a bit surprised but grins back at her before Christen goes back to her phone, and turns around to face the bartender again. </p>
<p>“Well go!” Allie says, slapping Tobin’s leg. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and shakes her head. “No,” she says, looking back at Allie. “I said that I’d get you home safely,” she says with a slight frown. </p>
<p>Allie just rolls her eyes. “I’ll be fine,” she assures her. “I text Bati,” she then reveals with a devilish grin. </p>
<p>“You what?” Tobin asks with wide eyes. “Allie, you went on one date with the guy and now you are drunk texting him?” She asks, not thinking that it’s a good idea. </p>
<p>Allie just shrugs her shoulders, “We’ve been texting all night,” she tells her. “He was with some friends at another bar down the street but he’s going to come over here,” she smiles. </p>
<p>“You sure that’s a good idea? You’re kind of drunk,” Tobin asks skeptically. </p>
<p>Allie rolls her eyes and lets out a dramatic sigh. “I’ll be fine. I’m not even that drunk, Toby,” she assures her. “Plus, if anything happens to me, he’s Servando’s best friend so you’ll know where to find him,” she says with a smirk, but that doesn’t make Tobin feel much better. “Now go! He said he’s almost here and your girl is paying out,” she says, making Tobin’s head whip around to see Christen signing her credit card receipt. </p>
<p>“Fine, but please text me if you need me,” she tells Allie, hesitantly standing up. “Or Alex,” she says, making Allie nod. </p>
<p>“Yes, mom,” Allie says sarcastically. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes and heads towards the bar. She walks up behind Christen and leans over her shoulder, “Want to get out of here?” She whispers in her ear. </p>
<p>Christen jumps slightly and then turns her head enough to see Tobin standing behind her with a smirk on her face. Christen looks a bit offended for a moment at the offer, “Are you seriously asking me to go have sex with you?” She asks, not really sure she is believing it. </p>
<p>Tobin just smiles at her and shrugs her shoulders. </p>
<p>Christen opens her mouth to say something but then shuts it again, and Tobin doesn’t miss the way that Christen’s eyes travel up and down her body as she bites her lip. </p>
<p>“If you want,” Tobin says, making Christen’s eyes snap back up to meet her own. “And I think you do,” she says confidently. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns at her, and Tobin keeps smiling, which just kind of annoys Christen even further. “You’re so annoying,” she states with an eye roll. “It’s a little infuriating,” she admits.</p>
<p>Tobin chuckles and chugs the rest of her beer before sitting it on the bar. She waves over the bartender and quickly pays for her tab. “I see that you convinced her to let you pay for your own drinks,” Tobin remarks, not missing that minor detail. </p>
<p>“I told you that I can buy my own drinks,” Christen scowls. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins at her and shrugs her shoulders, “Whatever you want, Princess,” she says, making Christen scoff at the nickname. “Anyway....the offer is there if you want it,” she then tells her, standing back up off the bar. </p>
<p>Tobin then walks past her and out the front door, leaving Christen to consider her options. </p>
<p>It doesn’t take long before Christen is jumping off the stool and quickly walking outside, hoping to still catch up to Tobin. And when she gets outside, she sees Tobin casually leaning against the brick wall of the building, her hands in her pockets. </p>
<p>“You were waiting on me?” Christen asks, raising a brow. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs again, a smug grin on her face. “I knew you’d come,” she says simply. </p>
<p>Christen once again rolls her eyes at Tobin, “You are way too smug,” she says with a glare. </p>
<p> “And you are uptight, and a little rude, stubborn-</p>
<p>“Seriously?” Christen asks incredulously. “You really think I’m going to come home with you after you keep insulting me?” She asks, folding her arms across her chest. </p>
<p>“Yes, I do,” Tobin says confidently, stepping into Christen’s space. “You’re also beautiful, feisty, and so sexy,” she whispers, letting her arms wrap around Christen’s waist, pulling the girl close to her. Christen leans her head back slightly and lets her arms hang limply by her sides, but she doesn’t pull away from Tobin. “And I really want to kiss you right now,” Tobin says, letting her forehead rest against Christen’s. </p>
<p>Christen frowns and pulls back just slightly to look at Tobin, her eyes darting between Tobin’s eyes. After a few seconds, she rolls her eyes at herself letting out a huff and then brings her hand up, gripping the back of Tobin’s neck and crashing their lips together. </p>
<p>Tobin’s moans against Christen’s lips pulling the girl even closer to her as she deepens the kiss. She feels Christen’s fingers tangling in her hair as the kiss turns a bit desperate. She slides her hands down over Christen’s perfect ass and groans at the feel of it under her hands, her fingers gripping onto it, pressing Christen flush against her.</p>
<p>“Take me to your place,” Christen whispers against Tobin’s lips.</p>
<p>Tobin nods, her chest heaving as her breath comes out in soft pants. “Let’s go,” she says, pulling away from Christen to grab her hand and pull her down the street. </p>
<p>“Wait!” Christen giggles, trying to keep up with Tobin’s excited pace in her heels. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins at her and slows down just slightly to make it easier for Christen. Though, a part of her just wants to pick Christen up and carry her the rest of the way to their apartment so that they can get there quicker. </p>
<p>Christen seems to be just as impatient as Tobin is because after another minute, Tobin finds herself being pressed up against the wall of some random building, Christen’s lips against her own again. </p>
<p>Tobin grimaces as her head collides with the brick, but she can barely be bothered. She just pulls Christen closer and kisses her dirtily, all tongue and teeth as her chest heaves with her heavy breathing. She tangles her fingers in Christen’s hair and tugs her head to the side, before trailing her kisses down Christen’s neck.</p>
<p>“How far do you live?” Christen pants, her hands slipping up under Tobin’s shirt. </p>
<p>“Just another block,” Tobin replies, pulling her lips away from Christen’s neck. “Come on,” she says, reluctantly pushing herself off the wall and pulling Christen down the street. </p>
<p>As hot as that was, she really doesn’t want to fuck Christen on the busy sidewalk. The thought alone kind of makes her moan though. </p>
<p>“You coming?” Christen asks, tugging on Tobin’s hand. </p>
<p>Tobin just shakes her head, pulling herself from those dirty thoughts and nods her head. She leads Christen down the sidewalk trying to keep her hormones in check long enough to get them back to her apartment.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello all! </p>
<p>I wanted to give a special shout out to ana-the-mega-banana on tumblr for helping me to come up with the title for this story!! Thank you and I appreciate you a lot!! </p>
<p>Enjoy..</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they finally reach Tobin’s apartment, Tobin can barely get the door unlocked and inside before Christen is spinning her around and pressing her against the door crashing their lips together again. She feels Christen’s hands tugging impatiently at her shirt and she wastes no time in helping her lift it up over her head, tossing it carelessly on the floor. </p>
<p>“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Christen mumbles, her hands running up and down Tobin’s abs. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks as she watches Christen’s eyes devour her body, “I didn’t think you knew how to compliment people,” Tobin says with a smug grin. </p>
<p>Christen glares up at her and wants to argue with her or say something smart back, but she decides not to. “Stop talking,” she says simply, before kissing Tobin hard again. </p>
<p>Tobin pushes herself up off of the door and guides Christen through the living room and into her bedroom, their lips never leaving each other’s. Once they get there, Tobin pushes Christen against her door, which makes Christen frown and pull away from the kiss. But before Christen can say anything to her, she takes notice of Tobin’s room. </p>
<p>“Your room is a mess,” Christen says with wide eyes, looking around at the room. She pushes herself off of the door and walks around Tobin, taking in the room. Things are just thrown around everywhere and you can barely even see the floor. There’s clothes, and art supplies, a soccer ball and who knows what else just scattered around carelessly.</p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs her shoulders and walks up behind Christen, wrapping her arms around the woman’s waist. She pushes Christen’s hair to one side and starts kissing her neck. </p>
<p>But Christen pulls away from her again and leans down picking up a few articles of clothing and tossing them onto a chair in the corner of the room. Tobin just watches her with furrowed brows, slightly amused but also a little confused. “Are you going to clean my room or let me fuck you?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen turns back to Tobin with a frown, “I don’t know, we can’t even get to the bed,” she retorts. “Seriously, how do you live like this?”</p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles, shaking her head. “I don’t need the bed to fuck you,” she decides, pulling Christen back over to her. “Maybe I want to bend you over my desk,” she suggests, leaning down to kiss Christen’s neck again. </p>
<p>“And who says you’re going to be the one in control?” Christen asks, spinning around to face Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin just raises a brow at the woman. “I did,” she challenges, pulling Christen roughly against her body, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. She starts to walk Christen over to her bed, being careful not to trip over anything on her floor. But, before she can push Christen down onto it, Christen turns quickly and pushes Tobin down onto her back. </p>
<p>Tobin raises a brow at the woman, a smirk on her face as she watches Christen climb onto the bed and straddle her. “I like to be in control,” Christen tells her, pinning Tobin’s hands above her head. </p>
<p>Tobin doesn’t try to fight it and just kisses Christen back when she leans down, pressing their lips together. She’s never been one to deny a pretty girl what she wants. Though, Tobin has a feeling that Christen could possibly enjoy letting someone else be in control for once. </p>
<p>She runs her hands up Christen’s thighs and back around, gripping has ass hard and making Christen grind down against her. “Fuck, your ass is amazing,” Tobin groans, and Christen just smirks down at her.</p>
<p>“So I’ve been told,” she says with a cocky grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks back at her and quickly flips them over so that she’s hovering above Christen. She leans down and hungerily kisses Christen, reaching back and pulling one of Christen’s legs around her waist as her hand goes back to her perfect ass. </p>
<p>Tobin can feel Christen pushing against her, trying to flip them back over, but Tobin pushes back, keeping Christen on her back. “Stop,” Tobin finally says, pulling away from the kiss and staring down at Christen. </p>
<p>“Stop what?” Christen asks, raising a brow up at her. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, “Stop trying to flip me over. You’re not going to win,” she says with another smirk. </p>
<p>Christen pouts up at her, “I like being on top,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just hums and leans down, kissing Christen quickly before pulling away and looking back down at her, “So do I,” she informs her. “And I think that you should let me,” she says, grabbing both of Christen’s arms and pinning them above her head. </p>
<p>Christen tries to struggle against her grip, but it’s no use because Tobin is definitely stronger than she is. “No,” she says stubbornly, still not willing to let Tobin win this one, even if she is stronger. </p>
<p>Tobin sits up a bit, but keeps Christen’s hands pinned above her head. “You’re a bit of a control freak aren’t you?” She asks, though she knows the answer. It’s pretty obvious. </p>
<p>Christen frowns and looks a bit offended at the accusation even though she knows that it’s true as well. She always has to be in control of everything. It gives her anxiety when she lets anyone else call the shots. She knows that if she’s the one in control that it’s going to be done right and she can’t say the same for anyone else. But that trait in her runs over into all aspects of her life. Work and personal. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Tobin assures her with a soft smile, but Christen still doesn’t look very happy. Tobin adjusts her hold so that she’s got a good grip on Christen’s wrists with just one of her hands. She then brings the other and brushes some hair out of Christen’s face, and gently caresses her cheek. </p>
<p>Christen looks a bit caught off guard by the gentle and almost intimate touch, but she doesn’t say anything. She just keeps looking up at Tobin, still wriggling a little in Tobin’s grasp, trying to get her hands free.</p>
<p>“It must be exhausting being in control of everything all the time,” Tobin says, and again Christen just stares up at her with a frown. “Just lay back and let me take care of you, yeah?” She asks with a gentle smile. </p>
<p>Christen sighs, but Tobin can see her body relax just slightly and then she notices that Christen stops trying to get her arms free. It makes Tobin smile a little proudly. </p>
<p>“Are you going to be good?” Tobin asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen’s hips subconsciously buck at the question and she lets out a small moan. </p>
<p>Tobin raises a brow and smiles down at her smugly, like she just found out a secret about the girl. But she doesn’t say anything to her about it. She’s not sure if Christen is ready to accept that she may actually like someone else being in control. </p>
<p>“I need an answer,” Tobin says firmly, raising a brow down at Christen. “If I let go of your arms are you going to be good?” She asks again. </p>
<p>Christen lets out another moan and nods her head, “Yes,” she rasps out, her back arching. </p>
<p>Tobin lets go of Christen’s hands and smiles when Christen keeps them above her head and doesn’t try to flip them over again or take control. “Good girl,” she whispers, leaning down to kiss Christen’s neck. </p>
<p>“Fuck, Tobin,” Christen moans loudly as the woman sucks hard on her neck. </p>
<p>Tobin sits back up and unbuttons Christen’s shirt, letting it fall to the side, revealing her bare chest. “Do you always not wear a bra? Even to work?” Tobin asks with a smirk, knowing that Christen had come out straight after she left her job.</p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders, “Why should I have to? That’s sexist,” she replies easily. </p>
<p>Tobin hums in response, “Well I think it’s hot,” she concludes, leaning down to suck a nipple into her mouth. </p>
<p>Christen moans in response and brings a hand down, threading her fingers through Tobin’s hair, encouraging her. Though after a couple of minutes, she starts to get a bit impatient. “Tobin?” She asks breathlessly.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Tobin asks, looking up at Christen. </p>
<p>“I have to work early in the morning,” she says, making Tobin’s brows furrow. </p>
<p>Tobin leans up with a frown on her face, “Do you want me to stop?”</p>
<p>Christen shakes her head, and puts her hands on Tobin’s face, pulling her up, “No but I need you to stop taking your time and just fuck me.” </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes darken and she smirks down at Christen, “Yes ma’am,” she says, before leaning down and kissing Christen hard, her hands already unbuttoning Christen’s pants. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Taking in a deep breath, and still trying to get breathing under control, Christen sits up and lets her legs dangle off the side of the bed. Her body still feels a bit like jelly, but she knows that it’s late and she doesn’t really have time to stay in bed and recover for long. Though she can admit that she can’t remember ever coming so many times or as hard as she had tonight. </p>
<p>It’s not that she’s surprised at how good Tobin was in bed, but she hadn’t expected her to be that good. She knew exactly what to say and where to touch Christen to give her the best orgasms of her life. </p>
<p>She’s never been with anyone who just knew what she wanted even without asking.</p>
<p>She takes another deep breath in, trying to regain some of her strength and looks around the messy room and finally spots her pants and shirt in a pile next to the bed. She throws the shirt over her shoulders and starts buttoning it up when she feels Tobin moving behind her.</p>
<p>“Why are you getting dressed?” Tobin asks with a frown. </p>
<p>“Well, I probably shouldn’t go outside naked,” Christen says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Why do you need to go outside?” Tobin then asks, the frown still on her face. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs and turns to look at Tobin, “So that I can go home,” she says as if it were obvious. </p>
<p>Tobin glances over at the clock on her nightstand table and then looks back to Christen, “It’s almost 1am,” she points out. “Just stay here,” she tells her, reaching out and tugging on the end of Christen’s shirt, trying to get her to lay back down.</p>
<p>Christen frowns and shakes her head, “I don’t really do sleepovers,” she admits. And that’s an understatement. She’s made it a pretty strict rule to never sleep over with the women that she hooks up with.</p>
<p>Tobin falls back onto her back and rolls her eyes, “Christen I’m not asking you to marry me or something. Just get some sleep and you can go home in the morning. I don’t want you walking home or getting a Lyft by some sketchy driver this late at night,” she informs her.</p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes again and turns around completely on the bed to face Tobin, “I’ll be fine,” she assures her. “My car is at work and it’s just a few blocks away,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Just stay,” Tobin says again. “Come on,” she says, pulling on Christen’s hand, trying to get her to lay back down. “It’s late, just sleep,” she says, trying to convince her. </p>
<p>Christen looks at the pout on Tobin’s face and can’t help but smile at her. Though, she’s a bit annoyed because she really just wants to go home. And she’s also a little annoyed at herself for actually wanting to stay in bed with Tobin. She’s never had a hard time just getting up and leaving no matter if they tried to convince her otherwise. But she’s having a hard time saying no to Tobin’s big brown puppy eye and adorable pout. </p>
<p>“I’ll wake you up in the morning by eating you out,” Tobin says with a smirk, trying to make staying sound a bit more tempting.</p>
<p>Christen’s brows raise and she shakes her head at Tobin, still smiling, “You are so annoying,” she chuckles.</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and reaches out, grabbing Christen, managing to pull her back down onto the bed. “Getting eaten out is annoying?” Tobin asks with a smug grin. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes and settles next to Tobin. “Fine, I’ll stay,” she says with a sigh, getting comfortable in the bed. She turns on her side to face Tobin, “But I wake up really early,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“What's early?” Tobin asks curiously as she watches Christen crawl back out of bed.</p>
<p>Christen finds her purse that had gotten thrown haphazardly onto the floor and digs around inside until she finds her cell phone, “5 am,” she informs her, crawling back into the bed.</p>
<p>“What the fuck?” Tobin questions, with raised brows. “Why?” </p>
<p>Christen puffs out a laugh and shrugs her shoulders, “I get to the office around 7:30 so it gives me enough time to do my morning routine,” she tells her as she makes sure that the alarm on her phone is set. She then puts her phone down on Tobin’s nightstand and lays back down, facing Tobin once again.</p>
<p>Tobin groans but nods her head, “Okay fine,” she says. “But I don’t know if I’ll keep my promise of eating you out that early,” she says with another smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles, “Then maybe I should just go home,” she says, playfully. “That was the selling point,” she jokes.</p>
<p>Tobin reaches out, grabbing Christen’s hand, “No,” she says with a small pout. “That’s crazy. By the time you get home it’ll be almost time for you to wake up again,” she points out. </p>
<p>“Yeah, you’re right,” Christen nods. “Though, I’ll have to go home before work anyway to get ready. I can’t go back wearing the same thing that I wore yesterday,” she says with a sigh. “I’m not normally out this late,” she admits. “But, I had a long day at work and didn’t get out until late and then I needed a drink,” she explains. </p>
<p>Tobin just hums, “Well, I’m glad you were out late and that I ran into you,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>Christen smiles at her, but doesn’t respond vocally. She just turns over onto her other side and starts to get comfortable, “Night, Tobin.” </p>
<p>“Night, Chris,” Tobin grins and then reaches over to turn her bedside lamp off.</p>
<p>It’s only a few moments later when Christen hears the TV being turned on and she furrows her brows. She rolls over onto her back and looks over at Tobin, “Really?” She asks incredulously. </p>
<p>Tobin winces and gives her an apologetic look, “I need the noise to fall asleep. I can’t sleep when it’s silent,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Christen huffs, “Well I can’t sleep with the TV on,” she retorts. </p>
<p>“Fine Princess,” Tobin says, figuring she should probably let her guest have her way. Especially since she’d wanted to go home in the first place and Tobin had convinced her to stay. </p>
<p>“Stop calling me that,” Christen tells her and Tobin can feel the glare even though it’s dark in the room and she can’t see it. </p>
<p>“Whatever you want Princess,” Tobin returns with a laugh, making Christen huff again. </p>
<p>“Go to sleep,” Christen grumbles, turning back over in the bed to get comfortable again. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen is almost asleep multiple times, but keeps getting woken back up by Tobin constantly tossing and turning next to her, letting out small sighs. “Tobin,” Christen finally groans, growing frustrated. She’s tired and just wants to get some sleep before she has to get up in just a few hours. “Be still,” she says, turning to face the woman. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and turns onto her side to face Christen as well, “I’m sorry. I just can’t sleep. The TV helps,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, “Maybe I should just go,” she suggests. </p>
<p>“No, I’m sorry,” Tobin says, reaching out for her. “Just...come here,” she says, pulling Christen over to her. She turns the woman over onto her other side so that her back is towards her and then scoots closer, wrapping her arms around Christen from behind. </p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Christen asks, confused by the action, her body stiffening a bit.</p>
<p>“I like to cuddle,” Tobin admits, resting her chin on Christen’s shoulder. “It helps me sleep,” she tells her. And when she doesn’t feel Christen’s body relax she just shakes her head, smirking a bit, “I just gave you 3 orgasms but cuddling is too much for you?” </p>
<p>Christen sighs and considers telling Tobin that she’s not really a cuddler and for her to let go of her, but she doesn’t. She relaxes in her grip and wiggles around a bit to get comfortable. If this is the only way that she can get Tobin to sleep then she’ll let her hold her. </p>
<p>But it’s definitely not because she realizes that she likes the feeling of being in Tobin’s arms. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Just a few hours later, Christen’s alarm goes off and she groans into her pillow. Normally, she doesn’t have much trouble getting up in the mornings, but she also usually gets a little more sleep than she had last night. And she’s also not normally so snug and warm in someone else’s arms.</p>
<p>She knows that she shouldn’t have gone home with Tobin and stayed up so late, but she hadn’t been able to help herself. Maybe it was the two martini’s that she’d had that made her make such a reckless choice, but she also knows that’s not true. Tobin was annoying and infuriating but for some reason, Christen just couldn’t stay away from her or ignore the feeling of want. </p>
<p>And damn did she want Tobin. </p>
<p>She’s never really wanted someone so much from just a couple of interactions. </p>
<p>Tobin’s also one of the sexiest women that she has ever seen so that did not help. And though she finds her cocky and smug attitude a little annoying, it’s also kind of hot. She never really been with anyone who challenges her. She’s always been pretty cold and standoffish and most people just cower away, which is mostly what she wants. It’s why she is the way that she is. She doesn’t want people trying to talk to her or trying to get close to her. But, Tobin just kept pushing, not being fazed no matter how harsh Christen could be and no matter how hard Christen tried to give her the cold shoulder. She just kept smiling at her with that dopey smile and big doe eyes. </p>
<p>“Turn it off,” Tobin groans from behind her.</p>
<p>Christen lets out a tired laugh and reaches over onto the nightstand turning her phone off. She turns in Tobin’s arms, seeing the woman lying there with her eyes still closed, a small pout on her lips. “I told you that I have to get up early,” she says with a chuckle.</p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and pulls Christen into her hugging her close. </p>
<p>Christen is caught off guard by the gesture, but she doesn’t pull away. </p>
<p>Not at first anyway. But after a moment, she knows that she really does need to get up and start getting ready for work. “I have to go home,” she says quietly, gently pulling away from Tobin’s hold.</p>
<p>Tobin sighs, and finally lets her eyes flutter open. “Just wear some of my clothes,” she suggests. </p>
<p>Christen furrows her brows, “I don’t think you have anything that I’d want to wear,” she says, knowing that the couple of times she’s seen Tobin she’s been in jeans and a t-shirt. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns back at her, “I have nice clothes,” she argues. </p>
<p>“I guess I can take a look,” Christen says with a small sigh. It really would be easier if she could just get ready here, seeing as how her work is just around the corner. Though she knows she’s going to feel a little off all day today if she doesn’t go home and complete her normal morning routine. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, but makes no move to get out of bed.</p>
<p>Christen just laughs at her, and swats her shoulder when Tobin closes her eyes again. “Now,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>Tobin groans loudly and rubs her hands over her face. “Okay,” she sighs, sluggishly sitting up. She carefully climbs out of bed and starts to make her way over to her closet, but not before tripping over something on the floor, “Fuck,” she grumbles, taking a second to breathe through the pain. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs, shaking her head as she walks over to Tobin’s closet. “Maybe you should clean up,” she remarks. </p>
<p>“Shut up,” Tobin rolls her eyes. She continues over to the closet and starts looking through everything that she has. She finally pulls out some black dress pants and throws them at Christen. “I’m pretty sure we are about the same size,” she assures her. </p>
<p>Christen just nods, knowing that they’re at least close enough. She slips the pants on and just stands there patiently waiting as Tobin sluggishly sifts through the shirts in her closet, most of them being t-shirts or hoodies. “Give me one of those button ups,” Christen says, pointing to the back of the closet where Tobin has quite a few nice button up shirts. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and hands her a light blue one. “I told you I have some nice things,” she says as she watches Christen throw the shirt over her shoulders and start to button it up.</p>
<p>“Maybe you should wear them sometimes,” Christen suggests. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs, “I do sometimes. Special occasions or nice dinners,” she says matter of fact. “But, mostly I like to be comfortable,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Christen gets the shirt buttoned up and then rolls the sleeves up to her elbows. “Thank you,” she says with a smile, looking herself over in the mirror that Tobin has hanging on her closet door. “This will do and it’ll save me a lot of time from having to go back home.” </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, watching her. “Now you need to do something about that hair,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just blushes and tries to tame some of her unruly curls.  “It’s a mess,” she frowns. </p>
<p>“I like your hair,” Tobin says, coming up behind Christen. “But you do have some sex hair going on,” she smirks. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes at Tobin and moves into her bathroom to try and tame her hair a bit. </p>
<p>“Also, your ass looks so much better in these pants than mine does” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs, looking at Tobin through the mirror as the woman wraps her arms around her waist, resting her chin on her shoulder. “You like my ass, huh?” Christen asks with a smirk, noticing how all night last night, Tobin had been drawn to it, and paying extra attention to the area.</p>
<p>Tobin nods and spins Christen around before she slides her hands down groping said ass, making Christen laugh. “It’s seriously the best ass that I have ever seen,” she informs her as she continues massaging the flesh in her hands. She leans down and starts kissing Christen’s neck, “I really want to fuck you again,” she says before biting Christen’s earlobe. “You’re so fucking sexy,” she groans. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help but let a groan escape her lips. She wraps her arms around the woman’s neck and tilts her head to the side, giving Tobin more space to work with. “I don’t have time,” she tells her, though she doesn’t sound very convincing. </p>
<p>Tobin leans in and kisses Christen for a moment before pulling back, “Sure you do. I just saved you time on having to go home,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>Christen groans as she feels Tobin’s lips attacking her jaw and down her neck again. “Fuck, Tobin,” she says, partially turned on and partially annoyed because she knows that she isn’t going to win this battle. She wants to let Tobin fuck her just as much as Tobin wants to. </p>
<p>“I want to bend you over my desk and fuck you,” Tobin says, pulling Christen flush against her, continuing the attack on her neck. </p>
<p>“Again, thinking you are the one that is going to be in control?” Christen asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks back, pulling her head up to look at Christen, “I think you liked letting me be in control,” she says knowingly, staring Christen right in the eyes, challenging her to disagree. </p>
<p>And Christen really can’t deny it. </p>
<p>She never lets anyone take control of her in the bedroom. It was definitely a change and one that she hadn’t expected to be okay with. But honestly, she’d really enjoyed it. Though she’s not sure she’s going to make a habit of letting girls take control over her. </p>
<p>“Go bend over the desk for me baby,” Tobin instructs softly into Christen’s ear, making chills rise up on her skin. </p>
<p>Tobin pulls away and looks at Christen who almost looks like she wants to say no or refuse her. And Tobin just stares back at her, letting her know it’s okay to say no if she really wants to. But they both know that she doesn’t want to. </p>
<p>And after a moment, Christen just walks over to the desk, bending over it and giving Tobin a perfect view of her ass. She turns back to look at Tobin with a smirk on her face. </p>
<p>“Fuck,” Tobin breathes out, practically running over to Christen and draping herself over her, attacking her neck and shoulders with her lips, her fingers working from behind to get her top unbuttoned. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Do you want me to make you some breakfast?” Tobin asks, as she watches Christen get dressed once again. She’s laying back in her bed, feeling completely exhausted from the limited hours of sleep and the multiple hours she’d spent fucking this incredible woman in front of her. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen says, shaking her head as she finishes buttoning Tobin’s shirt back up. “I really don’t have time for that,” she tells her. “Plus, I don’t really eat breakfast,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows, “Breakfast is the best,” she argues. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and shrugs her shoulders, “I just drink a protein shake most of the time, or just drink some coffee,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Tobin just hums in response and cuddles up to her pillow, still watching Christen as she moves around her room getting ready. </p>
<p>“You should get some sleep,” Christen says, turning to look at Tobin, who looks like she’s fighting pretty hard to keep her eyes open. She looks pretty adorable, but Christen has to shake those thoughts from her head. “I need to get going,” she says, grabbing her purse from the floor and making sure that she has everything. </p>
<p>Tobin crawls back out of bed and grabs Christen’s wrist, spinning her back around to face her, before she can walk out of her room. “Okay. Have a good day at work,” she tells her with a soft smile. “Maybe I’ll see you tonight?” She asks, a bit hopefully. </p>
<p>Christen winces and feels a little guilty as she looks up at Tobin’s smiling face, “Tobin,” she sighs. “This was just a one time thing, okay? I don’t want to date or a relationship or anything,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns slightly, but quickly covers it up and nods her head, “Okay,” she says, trying to sound more okay with it than she actually is. Though, Christen had made that pretty clear already. “We can still have sex and not date,” she offers, knowing that this is definitely not the last time she wants to be with Christen. It was too good to never have again. </p>
<p>“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Christen says honestly. “You know how that always ends,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, because she agrees. Someone always ends up getting hurt. “Okay well....I guess I’ll see you around then,” she adds, pulling away from Christen. </p>
<p>Christen sighs because she can tell that she’s upset Tobin and she feels bad. But she isn’t going to change her mind on this. “Yeah, I mean, I at last have to give you your clothes back. Though, they definitely look better on me,” she says with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit. </p>
<p>Tobin smiles at her, but Christen can tell that it doesn’t reach her eyes and it’s not a genuine smile. It’s not the smile she’s been getting since she’s met Tobin. She can see that the girl is clearly upset and doing a terrible job to hide it. </p>
<p>“Bye Tobin,” Christen says softly, reaching up and kissing her on the cheek.  </p>
<p>“Bye,” Tobin says quietly, with a sad smile. She watches Christen walk out of her bedroom and just throws herself back onto her bed instead of walking Christen all the way to the door. She figures she can find her own way out and honestly Tobin can’t fake her disappointment anymore. She’s too tired.</p>
<p>It’s not that she was expecting Christen to suddenly become her girlfriend or anything. She’s not even sure if she likes Christen seeing as how they’ve never really had much of a conversation. She doesn’t know anything about her. But she does know that she is attracted to her and she does know that she wanted to try and get to know her a little better. </p>
<p>She also knows that it was the best sex she’s ever had and she definitely planned on doing it again. </p>
<p>She would have savored it a little longer if she had known that it was going to be the last time. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen walks onto her floor of the magazine, running a little behind. She’s definitely not late, but she is used to being the first person in the building besides the overnight security. And today there are already a handful there, already starting their work day. </p>
<p>“Hey Christen,” Megan greets with a wide smile. “I was a little worried about you when I saw that I was here before you,” she says with a chuckle. </p>
<p>Christen gives her a tight lipped smile, not liking being called out for being late. “Yeah, I had a few things to get done before coming in,” she lies. </p>
<p>Megan just nods, looking her up and down, “Nice outfit,” she comments as she follows Christen into her office. </p>
<p>Christen turns around and narrows her eyes at the woman before sitting down at her desk and shaking her mouse to bring her computer to life. “Did you need something or were you just here to criticize my clothes?” She asks a bit defensively. </p>
<p>Megan puts her hands up and shakes her head, “I wasn’t criticizing,” she assures her. “I just don’t think I’ve ever seen you in men’s clothing before. It’s a good look,” she remarks with a wink. </p>
<p>Christen looks down at herself with a frown, not really noticing before that the outfit was a little less feminine than what she is used to wearing. But, she wears button ups and pantsuits half the time so she didn’t think anyone would really notice anything. </p>
<p>“I’m guessing you had to borrow some clothes,” she says wagging her brows at the woman. </p>
<p>Christen’s eyes widen, but she quickly collects herself and straightens her back. “I don’t really think that’s any of your business,” she says a bit coldly. She feels a little bad because honestly she likes Pinoe and she’s never been rude to her before, but she always gets a little defensive when people try and pry into her personal life. </p>
<p>“You’re right. It’s not,” Megan agrees, not really phased by it. “I’m just glad you are having some fun is all,” she says with a small shrug. She sits down in the chair across from Christen, not even noticing the glare that Christen is sending her way. “I needed to talk to you about the lawsuit,” she says, getting back to business. </p>
<p>“I thought we covered everything yesterday?” Christen says with a sigh, thinking back to the long meeting she’d had with her social media team. </p>
<p>“We did,” Pinoe nods. “I know that you don’t want me doing anything right now,” she starts with a frown, clearly not agreeing with being told to be quiet with the lawsuit still under investigation. “But, I really think that we should get this out there and put some more heat on it. You’d be surprised with what we can accomplish just by social media. We have millions of followers and I really think we could make a difference here- </p>
<p>“Pinoe,” Christen says, massaging her temples. This is really not how she wanted to start her day. “You heard what legal said. We need to just stay quiet and not bring more attention to this. We need them to settle and if we upset them further then they aren’t going to do this. They’re going to take us to court and it could end very badly for this magazine,” she tries to explain. </p>
<p>“They won’t take us to court. You said so yourself that they don’t want attention on this either,” she argues. </p>
<p>“Yeah, but if we put attention on it then it’s out there and they’re just going to fight this harder. No matter if they were in the wrong-</p>
<p>“They were,” Pinoe interjects. </p>
<p>Christen just gives her a look, “I know that they were,” she sighs with a sympathetic smile. This story had meant a lot to her as well and she wants to have it out there just as much as her team, but she’s the boss and she has to make the hard decisions and not let her feelings get in the way. “But either way, what we did was technically illegal. We interviewed and posted photos of a minor without parental consent. We aren’t going to win this one,” she tries to explain as calmly as possible even though she already went through all of this yesterday. “We could go bankrupt or have the magazine shut down completely and then who will we help? What can we do if we lose this platform?” </p>
<p>Megan frowns but sits back in her chair, looking defeated. </p>
<p>“I know that this sucks, but we have to just suck up our pride and do what they say if we want to keep going and keep fighting,” Christen tells her. “There will be other stories and other ways to bring these issues to light without using this family.”</p>
<p>“Fine,” Pinoe relents, standing back up from her chair. “Sorry to put all of this on you as soon as you walked in the door. I could tell you were in a good mood,” she says with a slight smile. </p>
<p>“I was in the same mood that I’m always in,” Christen frowns. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Pinoe says with a wink, making Christen frown deeper. “Keep doing whatever you're doing,” she tells her while heading for the door. “And I’m going to figure out a way around all of this,” she assures her. </p>
<p>Christen just sits back in her chair with a sigh as she watches Pinoe leave her office. There is no telling what that woman is going to do, but Christen knows it’s probably just going to bring more stress to her day. </p>
<p>One thing she admires about Megan Rapinoe is that she never gives up and she never loses. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“So I heard a girl sneaking out of your room this morning before the sun was even up,” Allie says, plopping down on the couch next to Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, not taking her eyes off the tv as she shovels cereal into her mouth. </p>
<p>“Did she sneak out?” Allie asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin shakes her head, still not looking over at her friend. “She works early,” she informs her. “She said she gets to her office around 730,” she adds. </p>
<p>Allie’s eyes widen, “Damn that’s way too early,” she says with a smile. “What does she do?” </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs in response, “We didn’t do much talking,” she says smirking. </p>
<p>Allie just laughs and shoves her friend, “You’re such a dude,” she accuses. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes and shoves Allie back, “I am not,” she argues, always getting annoyed when people compare her to a man. “Women can like fucking too and not have to be compared to a boy when we talk about it,” she says with a huff. </p>
<p>“Why are you in such a bad mood? Didn’t you just get laid?” Allie asks, narrowing her eyes. </p>
<p>“I’m not in a bad mood,” Tobin says, standing up from the couch. She walks into the kitchen and puts her bowl in the sink, “I’m sorry that I don’t like being compared to dudes,” she says, turning back to look at her roommate with a glare.</p>
<p>“Fine, I’m sorry,” Allie apologizes though she knows that she’s right about Tobin being in a mood and it being more than just her making a stupid comment. Tobin is a little sensitive sometimes, but she doesn’t normally get this worked up over something so small. </p>
<p>Before Tobin can respond to her, their front door opens and Alex waltz’s in. “Oh look Alex is here,” Tobin smiles, happy for a distraction so that Allie won’t keep questioning her. </p>
<p>“What’s going on?” Alex asks, looking between her two friends, noticing a bit of tension. </p>
<p>“Tobin’s in a mood,” Allie says with a shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin scoffs and rolls her eyes again. “I am not in a mood. Allie is being annoying,” she argues back. </p>
<p>Alex just nods and decides to not try to get in between the two and their fight. “Okay. Tobin you ready to prep?” She asks, looking at her friend expectantly. She sets her things down on the dining room table and then takes a seat, waiting on Tobin to join her. </p>
<p>“I thought you were coming during lunch?” She questions, realizing that it’s just after 10am. </p>
<p>“I’m ahead on my article for this week and I thought that it may take a little longer than half an hour to prep you,” she explains. Tobin’s eyes just widen as she watches Alex pull out a huge notebook filled with notes, and she’s not really sure what she’s gotten herself into. “Let’s get started,” Alex says with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin sighs and lets her head drop dramatically but she plops herself down in the chair next to Alex anyway. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin lets out another shaky breath as her leg bounces nervously against the chair she’s sitting in. She’s sitting outside of Ashlyn Harris’ office waiting on another woman to finish her interview so that Tobin can go and do hers. </p>
<p>She’s never really been nervous about job interviews or things in general, but she is this time. She knows that she has a lot riding on this. She’s been out of work for a few weeks now and her funds are getting low. She’s not doing this just to have a job, she’s doing this so that she can pay her bills. She’s doing this to not burden Allie anymore. </p>
<p>Plus, the more she’s looked into this magazine and Ashlyn’s stuff, the more she really wants to work here. She really likes the stuff that Ashlyn has been doing and she really likes the message of the magazine. It’s not all about telling girls how to get orgasms from men, or the latest face treatment. It does include those things, but it also has a lot of real issues in it. Issues that involve all people of every color, size and sexual orientation. </p>
<p>She’d really like to actually work somewhere where she feels like she could make a difference. </p>
<p>And the styles that Ashlyn uses for her shoots and the photography is exactly the kind of stuff that she’d be doing. It has some more girly outfits, but it also has a lot of unisex or women wearing men’s clothes as well. And it’s not all glamorous and photoshopped. It’s real with real women.</p>
<p>She really wants this job and she doesn’t think she’s ever wanted another job more. </p>
<p>“Tobin Heath?” Ashlyn questions, poking her head out of her office. </p>
<p>Tobin looks up and sees the other woman leaving with a bright smile on her face. </p>
<p>It makes Tobin nervous because that definitely meant that her interview had gone well. She’s probably more suited for the job than Tobin is.</p>
<p>“Hi, that’s me,” she finally says, standing up and walking over to Ashlyn. She shakes her hand firmly, and makes sure to make eye contact with her, just as Alex told her. Not that she really needed to be told that. Much to everyone’s disbelief she does know how to be professional. </p>
<p>She follows Ashlyn into the office and takes a seat in the chair across from Ashlyn’s desk as Ashlyn sits in her big office chair, looking at her with a smile. </p>
<p>“So you know Alex Morgan?” She asks instantly. </p>
<p>Tobin winces, but nods her head with a smile. She hopes that Ashlyn doesn’t just think she’s trying to worm her way into this job because she knows someone who works here. Though, she guesses that it’s kind of what she’s doing. “I do. She’s been my best friend since college,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Did you play soccer with her?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I did,” she nods, confirming, and a little surprised that she knew that. She supposes her and Alex are closer than she’d thought.</p>
<p>“Awesome. I played for UNC as well,” she says with a bright smile. “Goalkeeper,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Tobin’s brows furrow, “You did?” She asks, confused. She’s pretty sure she would have remembered having Ashlyn on her team..</p>
<p>Ashlyn just laughs and leans back in her chair, “I’m a few years older than you,” she smirks. </p>
<p>“Oh right,” Tobin says embarrassed. </p>
<p>“Anyway, let’s get started yeah?” Ashlyn asks, gathering up some papers on her desk. “I have your resume here,” she says, looking down at the paper in her hands. “So you’ve never worked in fashion?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Um no,” Tobin shakes her head, mentally kicking herself for saying um in a professional interview. “But I love fashion and I love fashion photography,” she explains to her and then remembers that she brought some photos along with her. “I brought some of my stuff,” she says, handing the folder over. “I know that I’m not applying for a photographer but I thought that it may help,” she says with a small shrug, regretting her choice a bit. Maybe it was stupid to bring these photos in when she’s just trying to be an assistant. </p>
<p>“Are you nervous?” Ashlyn asks, raising a brow. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she’s about to say no, but then sighs, “Yeah,” she says honestly. “I really want this job,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“These photos are great,” Ashlyn compliments. “Seriously, you are really good,” she adds with a smile, flipping through some more photos. “These look exactly like the kind of shoots that I like to style,” she explains. </p>
<p>Tobin nods with a smile, because she’d realized that when she’d been looking at some of Ashlyn’s work. They definitely have similar taste.</p>
<p>“So why do you just want to be an assistant?” Ashlyn asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin nervously fiddles with her hands in her lap. “Well, I figure it’s a good starting point,” she says honestly. “I love the work that this magazine is doing and I love what you do,” she tells her. “I’d love to be able to work under you and learn from you and of course I could contribute whenever you needed.” She says with a smile. “Not that you would need it! I mean, you’re great,” she says quickly. </p>
<p>Ashlyn just laughs, knowing how nervous this woman seems to be. “I can’t promise you that this will lead to anything more, but it could,” Ashlyn tells her honestly. “I think you have some potential though, and I could see you fitting in here. But, I need my assistant to be focused on me and what I need, not just trying to come in here and do other things and try to get in with other people. It’s good to be ambitious and have goals, but I do need you to put the assistant job in front of all that for now,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“No, of course not,” Tobin shakes her head. “You’d be my priority, I promise,” she assures her. “And I know that I don’t have fashion experience but I have been an assistant to a photographer before. I mean, it was mainly setting up equipment and appointments and things. I’m sure it’s very different from what you will ask of me, but I do know how to listen and I promise I’ll do everything I can to make your life and your job easier.” </p>
<p>Ashlyn looks at her for a few moments before smiling and nodding her head. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>The rest of the interview is full of your standard job interview questions and Tobin really feels like she answered everything well. Ashlyn had even told her that she liked her and she’d be a good fit so Tobin is feeling pretty confident. Though, she did tell her that she had another interview and she’d have to think about her options. She told her she’d get a phone call tomorrow if she has the job. </p>
<p>Tobin’s pretty sure she’s going to be staring at her phone the entire day. </p>
<p>But for today, she’s feeling happy and confident as she walks into a cafe right down the street from the magazine. She waltzes up to the counter and orders herself a sandwich and some chips, tipping the girl behind the counter very generously. </p>
<p>Yeah, she’s feeling that confident about this job. </p>
<p>She goes to find a table and sees Christen sitting at a table in the back corner, eating a salad while also working on her laptop. Tobin smiles at the sight of her and just rolls her eyes when she realizes the girl literally never takes a break from work. </p>
<p>She walks over to her table and smiles down at Christen, “Hi.” </p>
<p>Christen looks up with furrowed brows and then looks a bit caught off guard to see Tobin standing in front of her. “Are you stalking me?” She asks with a frown.</p>
<p>Tobin’s brows furrow now and she shakes her head. “No,” she tells her matter of fact. “I had a job interview down the street,” she says, the smile back on her face. Not even Christen’s moody personality will get her down today. “Can I sit with you?”</p>
<p>Christen sighs and continues to frown up at Tobin. “Tobin,” she says quietly, yet firmly. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes and sits down across from Christen anyway. “You don’t want to date me, I get it,” she says, raising her hands in the air. “But maybe it’d be nice for a little company during lunch?” She suggests. “Are you really going to make me go sit alone?” She asks with a small pout. </p>
<p>Christen shakes her head, trying to be annoyed with Tobin, but she’s finding it a little hard. “I don’t mind being by myself,” she informs her. “I can actually do things on my own, unlike you,” she accuses. </p>
<p>Tobin opens her mouth, looking offended. “I can do things on my own,” she argues. Though, now that she thinks about it Christen may be right. She doesn’t like going places by herself, which is why she’d been so adamant to talk to Christen the night she’d gone to the bar alone. She’s never been able to eat in a restaurant alone and she doesn’t even like living by herself. “Being alone is boring,” she says matter of fact.</p>
<p>Christen just hums in response, “Or being alone makes you think about things or acknowledge things you don’t want to,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows, “I don’t have anything I’m avoiding,” she tells her. “Not everyone can be diagnosed by some stupid therapy opinion or whatever,” she says, waving her hand in the air. “I just like people and I get bored by myself,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods, not really wanting to argue with her. “But I have to work so please just sit there quietly,” Christen sighs, deciding not to make her get up and move. It’ll probably just take more time out of her day that she can’t afford to waste. </p>
<p>“You work a lot,” Tobin points out with a frown. “You can’t even stop for a quick lunch break?” She questions. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen groans, pinching her nose out of frustration. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Tobin says, making the zipping motion across her lips and giving Christen a smile. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Surprisingly Tobin manages to keep quiet for most of lunch and she just sits there nibbling on her sandwich, watching as Christen works. She feels a bit creepy after a while, but she can’t really help it. She notices the little crinkle between Christen’s forehead when she’s reading something and seems to be confused. She watches her long slender fingers typing relentlessly on her keyboard and she’s pretty sure she’s never seen someone type so fast. </p>
<p>She also can’t help but chuckle when Christen tries to take a bite of her salad without taking her eyes off the screen and ends up dropping a piece on her lap. She just curses under her breath and gets a small pout on her face that makes Tobin just want to reach across the table and kiss her. </p>
<p>She also can’t help but notice how good she looks wearing Tobin’s clothes. All she can think about is bending her over her desk again, and ripping said clothes off of her.</p>
<p>Finally, Christen closes her laptop and Tobin just smiles at her, hoping this means they can actually have a conversation. </p>
<p>“I’ve got to get back to the office,” she says, making Tobin frown. “Are you done eating? Are you going to be okay here all alone?” She asks, and Tobin can tell that she’s teasing her, not actually concerned. </p>
<p>“I’ll be fine,” Tobin says, rolling her eyes. “Will you be out tonight?” She asks hopefully. </p>
<p>“Probably not,” Christen responds, putting her laptop into her bag. “I don’t go out and drink every night,” she informs her, not wanting Tobin to think she’s an alcoholic or something. </p>
<p>“Well I don’t either,” Tobin says back, because it sounded like Christen was accusing her of that. “Me and my friends have just had a lot to celebrate lately,” she says with a proud smile. “And we like hanging out,” she adds with a shrug, knowing that there isn’t always a reason for them going out. But it’s not like they get wasted every time they go out. </p>
<p>Christen sits back up in her chair and gives Tobin a smile, “You’re young. You’re allowed to have fun. I wasn’t judging you,” she assures her. </p>
<p>“You say that like you’re older than me,” Tobin smirks. </p>
<p>Christen just raises a brow at her and leans her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand, “How old are you? Like 24? 25?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“23,” Tobin responds, making Christen laugh. “What? How old are you?” She asks not believing this woman could be much older than she is. </p>
<p>“31,” she responds with a raised brow. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen, “You don’t look 31,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just smirks, “Black women have great skin,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Tobin laughs and rolls her eyes playfully, “Right,” she says.</p>
<p>“I really have to go though,” Christen says, putting her bag on her shoulder and standing up from the table. </p>
<p>“Hey wait! Can I get your number or something?” She asks quickly, not wanting Christen to walk out and leave without something. </p>
<p>But Christen frowns at her, “Tobin, I thought we talked about this?” She says with a sigh. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs and gives her one of her award winning smiles, “I can do casual,” she assures her. “Besides, the sex was amazing, you can’t deny that,” she says, and can see Christen’s cheeks flush and notices her looking around the cafe to make sure nobody had heard. Tobin just smirks and keeps talking, “Why should we deprive ourselves of that?” She asks with a smug look. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes but has a little smile on her face. </p>
<p>And Tobin can see that she’s getting through to her but she’s not fully convinced. “If anything, you need my number at least so you can return my clothes,” she says, going a different route. “That’s like my favorite shirt,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Sure it is,” Christen rolls her eyes. “Fine,” she says, pulling her phone out. She opens the contacts up and hands it over to Tobin letting her put her information in. “Alright, I really need to go,” she says, taking her phone back. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods and pulls her own phone out. She smiles when she sees a text message and holds up her phone to show Christen, “I had to make sure I got your number as well,” she informs her. “I don’t know if I trust you to actually text me,” she says playfully. </p>
<p>“You were probably right there,” Christen says with a smirk of her own. “See you later, Tobin,” she says, before heading for the door. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins down at her phone and immediately saves Christen’s number. </p>
<p>—- </p>
<p>Later that night she’s out with her friends at their usual bar. And she knows that Christen told her she wouldn’t be out tonight, but that doesn’t stop her from glancing towards the bar every few minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Hoping that maybe she’d changed her mind and decided to have a drink after all. </p>
<p>But so far she’s seen no sign on her. </p>
<p>“So who’s the girl?” Alex asks, pulling Tobin’s attention away from the bar and over to her friends. </p>
<p>“What?” Tobin asks, confused.</p>
<p>“Allie told me you had a girl over last night and then you were moody all morning after she left. She also told me you guys ran into her here and you can’t seem to stop looking towards the bar,” Alex says matter of fact. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs, shrugging her shoulders a little, “Her name is Christen, that’s all I really know,” she tells them. </p>
<p>“Are you going to see her again?” Allie asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin just shakes her head, “She doesn’t really do relationships. She made it pretty clear that it was a one time thing,” she tells them, deciding to leave out the fact that she’s maybe trying for more. </p>
<p>“Sorry Tobs,” Alex says with a frown, reaching over to put a hand on Tobin’s shoulder. </p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Tobin shrugs, “I didn’t even know her so...” </p>
<p>“That doesn’t mean you didn’t like her,” Allie interjects. “You seemed pretty happy to see her last night and you seemed pretty upset this morning when she left,” Allie points out. “Plus, you can’t stop looking at the bar like you’re hoping she’ll come in,” she adds knowingly. </p>
<p>“Let’s just talk about something else?” Tobin asks hopefully, not really wanting to talk about Christen with her friends. </p>
<p>“Yes, let’s,” Alex nods. “Let’s talk about how well your interview went!” She says with a wide grin. </p>
<p>“You don’t know that,” Tobin mumbles, feeling a blush on her cheeks at her friend's praise. </p>
<p>“I do!” Alex says confidently. “I know you and I know that you probably killed it,” she says, making Tobin just roll her eyes because she’s obviously biased. “And,” she says, leaning forward and trying to get Tobin’s full attention, “Ashlyn may have said something to me,” she says with a mischievous grin. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen, “What? She did? What did she say?” She asks, feeling her heart start to race in her chest. </p>
<p>“Well she told me that she really liked you and thanked me for bringing you to her,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“That doesn’t mean anything,” Tobin says, trying not to get her hopes up. </p>
<p>“It does!” Allie jumps in with an excited grin. “That definitely means you got it!” She squeals. “We need shots!” She then says jumping off the couch. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, watching Allie bounce away from the table. She then turns back to Alex with a hopeful look, “You really think I got it?” </p>
<p>“I do,” Alex says confidently. “And I promise I wouldn’t be saying this to you and getting your hopes up if I didn’t truly believe it,” she says, trying to ease Tobin’s worries. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin says, feeling herself smile, though she tries to not get too ahead of herself. It still doesn’t necessarily mean that she got the job. She’ll just have to wait and find out tomorrow. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>It’s a couple of hours later, and Tobin is just watching her friends drunkenly discuss their boyfriends. She’s feeling a little tipsy, but she’d taken it easy tonight, knowing that she wants to be feeling at her best when she gets a call from Ashlyn. She’s not sure that Ashlyn would need her to come in for anything tomorrow or if it’ll take a couple of days, but she wants to be prepared just in case. </p>
<p>She glances down at her phone again and bites down on her lip, having an inner conflict with herself. She wants to text Christen and she’s been thinking about it all day, but she also doesn’t want to seem too clingy. She knows that Christen doesn’t want a relationship with her and if she even wants to keep having casual sex with the woman, she’s going to need to relax a bit. </p>
<p>But she’s also never really been one to think much about her actions before she does them. And when she wants something, she goes for it. </p>
<p>So she texts Christen. </p>
<p>Tobin: Hey gorgeous :) </p>
<p>She can’t help but roll her eyes at herself for the lame message. She’d been thinking about what to text Christen for the better part of an hour and that’s what she had settled on. </p>
<p>Christen: Who is this? </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she feels a bit embarrassed for not saying who she was and just assuming she’d know. But she also remembers saving her info in Christen’s phone. </p>
<p>Tobin: Don’t tell me you already deleted my number? </p>
<p>Christen: I was teasing you. Missing your favorite shirt already? </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but grin at her phone. </p>
<p>Tobin: That...and you. </p>
<p>She throws her phone down on the table and groans at herself because she knows that was too much. She’s seriously got to chill. </p>
<p>“You okay, Harry?” Allie asks, looking at her friend with concern. </p>
<p>Tobin sits up straight and nods her head, “Oh yeah,” she says, but then sees them looking at her phone she’d dropped on the table. “The warriors lost,” she shrugs, talking about the basketball team. “I had a bet with someone,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>They still don’t look very convinced, but they drop it. </p>
<p>Tobin is grateful when they go back to their conversation. She feels her phone vibrating and she’s reluctant to look at it after her last message. </p>
<p>But she does. </p>
<p>Christen: Want to come over?</p>
<p>Tobin just about drops her phone in shock when she reads over the message. She had expected Christen to chastise her for flirting or lecturing her again about how she doesn’t want to date or be in a relationship. She definitely hadn’t expected her to invite her over. </p>
<p>Tobin: Send me your address </p>
<p>Tobin is surprised when the next text actually has an address on it. She immediately orders herself a Lyft and is pleased when it says they’ll be there in 6 minutes. </p>
<p>She looks up at her friends, seeing them still giggling with each other, probably still talking about their boyfriends. She’s really happy for the two of them, but she also feels a little left out. Not only because she isn’t dating anyone but because their boyfriends are friends with each other which makes everything more fun for them. </p>
<p>“I have to go, you guys,” she says, standing up from her seat.</p>
<p>They both look up at her with a frown, “No! You can’t leave yet!” Allie shouts, reaching out and grabbing Tobin’s hand. “We’re celebrating!”</p>
<p>Tobin just smiles down at her, “I’m sorry, but I really do have to go,” she says matter of fact. </p>
<p>Alex looks at her curiously for a moment and then her eyes widen, “Are you going to see your girlfriend?” She asks with an excited grin and then Allie practically squeals next to her. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes but can’t stop the little smile from forming on her face. “Maybe,” she answers casually. “But she’s not my girlfriend,” she then points out. “I’ll see you girls later,” she says, before walking past them. She hears them letting out catcalls and just rolls her eyes as she walks to the bar. </p>
<p>She closes her tab out and then walks outside, leaning up against the wall as she waits for the Lyft to be there. She pulls her phone back out and opens her messages with Christen. </p>
<p>Tobin: This better not be a fake address ;)</p>
<p>Christen: I guess you’ll find out. </p>
<p>Tobin lets out a happy sigh and pockets her phone just as her Lyft pulls up onto the sidewalk. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen when she sees the apartments that Christen lives in. They’re definitely nicer than any apartments that she has ever seen. They even have a doorman that opens the door, greeting her with a smile as she enters. </p>
<p>She awkwardly gives him a little wave and looks around the extravagant lobby for the elevator. She checks her text message again, making sure she has the apartment number right and heads up to the 12th floor of the building. </p>
<p>When she finds the correct apartment number, she gently knocks on the door, waiting a bit nervously for Christen to answer. She looks down at herself in just her usual jeans and t-shirt and suddenly feels a bit under dressed. Though, she’s never given much thought to her appearance before or cared what other people thought. </p>
<p>But she’s never been in a building where she’s pretty sure just the front door costs more than her month's rent.</p>
<p>The door swings open a moment later, revealing Christen. She’s still got Tobin’s shirt on, but she’s not wearing anything else and she has a glass of wine in her hand. “Fuck,” is all Tobin can manage when she sees her. </p>
<p>“Hey Tobs,” Christen greets with a mischievous grin. </p>
<p>“Hi,” Tobin says, swallowing hard. </p>
<p>Christen just continues to smirk at her as she opens the door wider to let Tobin inside. </p>
<p>Tobin manages to take her eyes off of Christen for a moment to look around the apartment that she’s now realizing is more like a penthouse. The living room itself is the same size as their apartment and has marble floors and clean white walls with large glass windows that go from the floor all the way up to the tall ceilings. Honestly all the furniture looks pristine and almost like it’s never been touched. The apartment is really nice but it also doesn’t look very lived in. </p>
<p>“Your place is....” Tobin starts to say, but can’t really find the words, “It’s gorgeous,” she finally says, turning back to look at Christen who is just leaning against the door watching her as she sips on her wine. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Christen responds with a smile. She pushes herself off the door and walks towards Tobin. “Do you want a glass of wine?” </p>
<p>Tobin scrunches her nose up, “I don’t really drink wine,” she says honestly. “Do you have any beer?”</p>
<p>Now it’s Christen’s turn to scrunch up her nose, “No,” she shakes her head. </p>
<p>Tobin just giggles, thinking that Christen looks adorable, “That’s okay,” she tells her, wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist. “I had a couple of drinks already,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just nods, “Were you out? I didn’t mean to pull you away,” she says with a small frown. </p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Tobin answers immediately. “I’d rather be here,” she says honestly. “But what exactly am I doing here?” She then asks. “I didn’t think you wanted to see me again,” she points out.</p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders and pulls away from Tobin. She makes her way into the kitchen and sets her glass down on the huge island. “Do you really think that you can just have casual sex?” She then asks, looking back up at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin walks into the kitchen and stands across the island from Christen. “Yeah,” she says, though she’s not really sure she’s quite convinced herself of that. But she’d rather try than not have Christen at all. </p>
<p>Christen doesn’t look very convinced either, “Are you sure?” </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin nods her head, moving around the island and wrapping her arms around Christen again. She starts kissing the woman’s neck and feels Christen wraps her arms around her neck, pulling her closer. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen says, accepting the answer. “I mean you were right. It was really good sex,” she says with a grin. “As long as you won’t get attached or anything then I don’t see why we can’t-</p>
<p>“Stop talking,” Tobin interrupts, smirking against Christen’s skin. </p>
<p>Christen frowns and almost chastises Tobin for interrupting her, but decides against it. She just wraps her hand around the back of Tobin’s neck and pulls her into a heated kiss.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright guys! Tell me your thoughts and opinions please! And of course let me know if you are enjoying it and if I should keep going! </p>
<p>Much love! </p>
<p>Find me to chat on tumblr! dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello all!! Thank you so much for the amazing feedback on the last chapter! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this so far!! </p>
<p>Enjoy Chapter Three...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Fuck, Tobin,” Christen groans, her hips slowly grinding against Tobin’s face. She grips tightly onto the headboard in front of her, letting her forehead fall against the wall as she tries to come down from her high. </p>
<p>She barely even registers Tobin wiggling out from underneath her. And she barely notices Tobin kneeling behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist, burying her face into her neck. But she definitely feels Tobin’s hand slide down and cup her, gently massaging her fingers through her folds. </p>
<p>“Shit,” she curses, her hips jerking at the touch. </p>
<p>“Are you sensitive?” Tobin murmurs. </p>
<p>Christen just nods her head, but Tobin doesn’t stop. She slowly thrusts a finger inside of Christen and can still feel her clenching around her from her last orgasm. </p>
<p>“Fuck” Christen cries out, already feeling herself building back up. She lifts her head back up off of the wall and practically falls back into Tobin’s arms, her back pressing against Tobin’s front. Tobin fortunately keeps a good hold on her, supporting both of them.</p>
<p>“Do you want me to stop?” Tobin whispers, her lips attacking Christen’s neck. </p>
<p>Christen can barely even hear Tobin at this point as she feels herself already about to come again. “No,” she manages to breathe out before letting out a low moan. “Please don’t stop,” she says desperately, reaching back with one hand to tangle her fingers in Tobin’s hair. </p>
<p>Tobin thrusts another finger inside of Christen and picks up her pace, letting her body move with Christen’s. </p>
<p>It only takes another few minutes before Christen is coming undone again, her entire body shaking, still reeling from both orgasms. She just about collapses against Tobin, putting all of her weight on her as her entire body feels like jello. “Jesus,” she mumbles with a heavy sigh, trying to calm her rapid breathing. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs as she nuzzles her nose into Christen’s neck. She starts to move her fingers again, but Christen shakes her head. </p>
<p>“I can’t,” she pants, pulling Tobin’s fingers away. </p>
<p>Tobin pulls her hand away with a smirk. “Sorry, you’re kind of addicting,” she says honestly. She pulls away completely and helps Christen to lay down, seeing that she really is exhausted. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and buries her face into her pillow, situating herself on her side as Tobin does the same and they’re looking at one another. </p>
<p>“So that was 3 orgasms for you and only 2 for me. I’m going to remember that you owe me,” Tobin tells her with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes, but gives Tobin a smile. “You can count that last one as two because jesus,” she says, her body still shuddering. </p>
<p>Tobin laughs and then just smiles at Christen, “I’ll just count it as one to make it easier on you,” she tells her with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just scoffs at her, “Like it’s hard to make you come,” she replies, raising a brow. </p>
<p>Tobin looks offended, and lets out a dramatic gasp. “What are you saying?”</p>
<p>“You almost came by me just sucking on your nipples,” Christen says with a smirk.</p>
<p>Tobin pouts in response, “They’re sensitive,” she argues, “And you’re really hot,” she adds as though it should be obvious. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs, shaking her head. “I’ll wake you up with an orgasm,” Christen winks, repeating Tobin’s words from the last time. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins at her, “So that means you are going to let me stay the night?” She asks with excitement. Honestly she was going to try and convince Christen to just let her stay, but she’s happy that she won’t have to even do any convincing. Though, she’s a little surprised. She’d expected for her to kick Tobin out once they were done.</p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes and turns over onto her back, “I suppose,” she says airily, playfully making it seem like it’s such an inconvenience. “I guess I won’t make you go out this late. I’d hate for something to happen to you because then I’d have to go and find someone else to give me orgasms and that just sounds like too much work,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes at her and leans over so that she’s hovering above Christen. “You couldn’t find anyone that makes you come as hard as I can anyway,” she tells her confidently. </p>
<p>Christen wants to argue with her or say some smart remark but honestly Tobin is right. She’s never had sex that was this good. “Get off of me,” Christen says, trying to sound annoyed, but she’s smiling. “Go to sleep,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins widely at her, knowing that she won. She lays down on her side, facing Christen, the smug grin still on her face. “Come on,” she says, opening up her arms, “It’s cuddle time,” she then says happily. </p>
<p>Christen groans and brings her hands up to cover her face, “You and your damn cuddles,” she grumbles, though to be honest she doesn’t mind at all. </p>
<p>She’ll never let Tobin know that though.</p>
<p>“Come here, what are you waiting for?” Tobin asks with a grin, making little grabby motions with her hands. </p>
<p>Christen chuckles and shakes her head. “Okay just give me a second,” she tells her, before grabbing her cell phone and making sure there are no notifications or emails that she needs to tend to. It’s not too often, but even this late she will sometimes have some sort of emergency or work thing come up. Unfortunately news stories break even in the middle of the night. </p>
<p>She then makes sure that her morning alarm is set to the correct time. She has it set for the same time every morning, but it’s always reassuring to double check it. Once she’s settled, she places her phone back on the nightstand and then reaches over flipping a switch on the device on her nightstand. It starts playing soothing beach noises and she instantly starts to feel more relaxed. </p>
<p>She rolls back over to her side, facing Tobin and sees the girl with a frown on her face, “What?” She asks curiously. “You were just so smiley,” she says, reaching out and poking Tobin’s bottom lip. </p>
<p>Tobin looks at the device on Christen’s nightstand and then back at her, “What is that?” She questions with furrowed brows. </p>
<p>“It’s a white noise machine,” Christen informs her. “It helps me sleep,” she adds. </p>
<p>“I thought you didn’t like noise when you sleep?” She asks, remembering how Christen wouldn’t let her turn her television on. </p>
<p>“It’s different,” Christen argues. “TV is just annoying and distracting with all the talking and loud sound effects,” she starts to explain. “This is just like the waves at the beach, it’s relaxing,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin scrunches her face up and shakes her head, “It just sounds like static. It’s annoying,” she argues. </p>
<p>Christen frowns at her, “It doesn’t sound like static,” she says, rolling her eyes. “It reminds me of home,” she admits with a small smile. </p>
<p>Tobin then realizes that she knows nothing about Christen and that is the most personal thing that she has ever said to her and she’s not going to miss the opportunity to possibly find out more about the girl. “Where are you from?” She asks, hoping Christen won’t close back up. She knows that she doesn’t really like talking. </p>
<p>“Palos Verdes Estates, California,” she tells her. “I grew up right on the beach, it was amazing,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>“Well you aren’t very far from the beach,” Tobin shrugs. They may be more inland than what Christen grew up used to, but it’s only a couple of hours away from the beach depending on traffic.</p>
<p>“It’s not the same,” Christen argues. “I liked being able to just walk down to the beach. And at night if you leave the window open, you can hear the waves,” she tells her.</p>
<p>“You don’t seem like a Cali girl,” Tobin tells her, making Christen frown. “I wouldn’t have thought you grew up here.”</p>
<p>“Why not?” She asks, confused. </p>
<p>Tobin shrugs, “I don’t know. I thought people from California were all chill and stuff,” she says, “You’re uptight and sometimes can be a little rude.” she says with a smirk. “Though, I know that area is pretty wealthy, so I guess you’re just a bit of a snob,” she says with a small smile. </p>
<p>Christen gapes at her, “Stop being mean. I’m not a snob,” she argues.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin just laughs.</p>
<p>Christen scoffs at her, “Not everyone is the surfer stereotype,” she rolls her eyes. “Are you from around here?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“New Jersey,” Tobin informs her.</p>
<p>Christen just laughs, and Tobin looks at her curiously. </p>
<p>“What?” </p>
<p>It’s Christen’s turn to shrug now. “I don’t know, I guess you seem more like the stereotypical Cali girl, but you are actually from the North. If you want to talk about stereotypes then I guess we are the opposite of them,” she explains. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, “First of all, New Jersey is a lot different than New York and that whole stuck up and rude stereotype,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s just tanned Italians who like going to the gym,” Christen smirks. </p>
<p>“That show was a total misrepresentation,” Tobin argues with an eye roll. </p>
<p>“I guess stereotypes are not always true,” Christen says, raising her brow at Tobin. </p>
<p>“Fine, you win,” Tobin relents. “Why’d you move away from the beach?” She asks curiously. “You seem to really love it,” she says softly, noticing the way Christen’s face had lit up when she talked about home. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs a bit uncomfortably, and Tobin realizes she’s starting to close back up. “It was just easier for work, I guess,” she says vaguely. </p>
<p>Tobin wants to ask her more, but she realizes she’s starting to push Christen a little too far. She’d gotten a little information out of her and she supposes that will suffice for now. “But really, turn that thing off,” Tobin says, referring back to the white noise machine. </p>
<p>Christen lets out an annoyed huff, “Just go to sleep,” she says simply. </p>
<p>“I can’t sleep with that,” Tobin tells her with a pout. “Come on, I’m your guest,” she says with a small whine. “I turned off my TV for you,” Tobin reminds her. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and shakes her head, “I’m not turning it off,” she tells her honestly. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>Tobin just lets out a huff, realizing that her pouting wasn’t going to work this time. “Fine,” she relents, scooting closer to Christen. “But, I get extra cuddles,” she negotiates. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes again but scoots closer to Tobin, letting her wrap her arms around her. “If it’ll make you go to sleep,” Christen grumbles, acting as if she doesn’t really want to the cuddles. </p>
<p>It’s a total lie. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen holds to her promise and Tobin wakes up with Christen’s head between her legs. </p>
<p>She doesn’t even mind that it’s barely after 5am. </p>
<p>She does, however, go back to sleep when Christen gets out of bed and starts to get ready for her day. She hadn’t really planned on falling back asleep, but she’s feeling all warm and tingly from her orgasm, plus Christen’s bed is one of the most comfortable beds that she’s ever been in. And maybe it’s not as nice as being in her bed with Christen in it, but it’s close enough. Plus, it smells like Christen and it’s comforting. </p>
<p>She’s woken back up the second time by Christen gently shaking her. She groans and looks up to see the woman hovering above her. “I need to leave for work,” Christen informs her. “You need to get up and get dressed and ready to go,” she tells her.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin mumbles, before cuddling back into the bed. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and pushes Tobin, “You have to get up. Now,” she tells her, amused. “I’m not leaving you in my condo unattended,” she says with a chuckle. </p>
<p>Tobin groans again, but lays on her back and opens her eyes, looking up at Christen. She sees the woman dressed in a dark maroon pantsuit with a beige button up blouse, the top few buttons undone, leaving most of her chest exposed. Tobin sits up and looks Christen up and down fully appreciating her outfit. “You’re so sexy in your work clothes,” she says, her voice still raspy from just waking up. </p>
<p>Christen smirks at her and puts a hand on her hip, “Come on,” she says, rolling her eyes. “There is no time for that,” she says, pointing a finger at the girl. “I really need to go. Get your stuff,” she says, before grabbing her cell phone off the nightstand and leaving the bedroom. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and decides that she should probably actually get dressed and leave so that she doesn’t make Christen late or upset her. </p>
<p>She walks out of the bedroom and sees Christen sipping on a cup of coffee as she looks through her phone. When she hears Tobin walk in, she looks up and smiles at her, “Do you want coffee?” Christen asks politely. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Tobin nods, sitting down on the barstool at the kitchen island. “Don’t you need to leave?” She then questions, knowing that Christen had been rushing her out of bed. </p>
<p>“I still have about 20 minutes,” she tells her. “I just wanted to make sure you got up and were ready to go when I’m ready,” she says, grabbing another coffee mug for Tobin. “I thought it may be harder than it actually was to get you up,” she smirks, as she pours some coffee and slides the mug across the counter. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Tobin says simply, “I thought you really needed to leave. I definitely could have taken longer,” she informs her with a smirk. “Can we make some breakfast or something then?” Tobin asks, getting off the stool. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns at her, “I told you that I don’t really eat breakfast,” she says matter of fact. “I had a protein shake after I did yoga this morning,” she tells her. “But you can have something,” she then adds. </p>
<p>“You do yoga?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Christen says simply, taking another sip of coffee. “It helps relax me,” she says, and Tobin just raises a brow at her. “I’m not that uptight,” Christen says with a sigh, rolling her eyes at the girl. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin laughs. She opens up the fridge and sees a few fruits and veggies, a couple of eggs and a few condiments. But it’s mostly bare, save the sparkling water and a couple of bottles of white wine. “You have no food,” Tobin frowns. </p>
<p>Christen just hums in response, glancing over at the woman, “I can make you a smoothie or something,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin wrinkles her nose at the suggestion, “How do you not have any groceries? You seem like you’d be more responsible than that,” Tobin says, turning back to the woman. </p>
<p>“I’m never home,” Christen says simply. “And I don’t really cook,” she then adds. </p>
<p>Tobin nods and looks around the condo. She’d looked around a bit last night, but she’d been mostly distracted by Christen. She had definitely noticed how clean and untouched it looked, “It doesn’t even seem like you live here,” she tells her with a frown. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders, “I work a lot,” she says, not looking up from her phone. “I don’t spend a lot of time here,” she says honestly. “But, I like it,” she says, the frown still on her face as she looks around the condo. </p>
<p>“It’s nice,” Tobin agrees, realizing that she’s upsetting Christen. She gets up and walks around the kitchen to wrap her arms around Christen’s waist from behind. “It’s really nice,” she says again. “Honestly, I think just the couch costs like 6 months of my rent,” she says with a smirk. “I just mean, it’s not very homey,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>Christen sighs and pulls away from Tobin’s arms. “Are you ready? I’m going to go ahead and head into the office,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns, but nods her head, “Yeah, I’m ready.” </p>
<p>“Great,” she says with a firm nod. She grabs all of her things and leads Tobin out of the condo, locking the door behind her.  </p>
<p>Once they get onto the street, Christen turns to look at Tobin. “Do you need a ride anywhere?” She asks curiously and a bit awkwardly. She wasn’t really sure how Tobin even got there last night and she hadn’t bothered to ask her. </p>
<p>“No that’s okay,” Tobin smiles, “I can just get a Lyft,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“If you’re sure,” Christen says, a bit hesitant. </p>
<p>“They’ll be here in 5 minutes,” Tobin smiles, holding her phone up. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods, pulling her ticket out for her condo’s valet. “I can wait with you if you need me to,” she says, not really sure if she should just leave Tobin sitting outside of her building. </p>
<p>“It’s fine. I can be alone for a few minutes,” she smirks, remembering that Christen had pointed out how Tobin didn’t like to be alone.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods.  </p>
<p>“Text me later if you want to do anything,” Tobin tells her. </p>
<p>Christen looks a bit hesitant like she wants to say no, but then she nods her head. “I’ll see how late I’m at work,” she tells her. “If I’m not too tired I may text you,” she says casually. She knows that Tobin had agreed she could just do the casual sex thing, but she’s still not convinced. And she also isn’t sure that casual sex means seeing each other every day. </p>
<p>“Okay. I’ll be waiting,” Tobin winks. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes and then gives Tobin a little smile, and looks at her a bit awkwardly, not really sure if she should hug her or kiss her or anything. But, kissing is definitely too intimate, right? And honestly, she’s never been a very touchy person or a hugger. Physical contact kind of makes her uncomfortable with most people.</p>
<p>“Come here,” Tobin says, sensing Christen’s hesitancy. She pulls the woman into a tight hug, burying her face into her neck. “Have a good day at work,” she says softly. </p>
<p>Christen is a little tense during the hug, but she does hug Tobin back and she’s not going to lie and say that she doesn’t kind of like the feeling of Tobin’s arms wrapped tightly around her. But after a moment, she pulls away, clearing her throat a little awkwardly. “Thanks, have fun doing whatever it is you do,” Christen says, not really sure what Tobin fills her day with. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Tobin says as she watches Christen grab her keys from the valet. She looks over to the car pulling up in front of the building and isn’t surprised to see a Mercedes. It’s pretty obvious by now that Christen has money. “Nice ride,” she comments. </p>
<p>Christen isn’t really sure if it’s a compliment or another remark to her being snobby or stuck up, but she gives her a small smile anyway, “Thanks,” she says a bit unsurely before climbing into the car. </p>
<p>She’s always been proud of her accomplishments at a young age and it’s not like she just flaunts her money around. But she does have a bit of expensive taste and she’s not going to apologize for it. She’s worked very hard to get where she is and she doesn’t like that Tobin is almost using it against her. </p>
<p>Though, maybe she’s not. Christen sometimes has an issue with thinking the worst or assuming people are judging her. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>When Tobin gets back to her apartment, she’s barely in the door when she’s getting a phone call. She doesn’t recognize the number, and normally she wouldn’t answer it but she’s also hoping for a call from Ashlyn so she decides to answer it. </p>
<p>Disappointingly, it’s just another spam call asking about student loan forgiveness and she doesn’t even have any student loans. She was fortunate enough to have all of her schooling paid for from a soccer scholarship, but it still doesn’t stop people from calling her for some reason. </p>
<p>With a sigh, she walks into her apartment and sees Allie sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal. She’s a bit surprised to see the woman up so early, though she supposes that Allie probably wakes up this early pretty often. It’s normally Tobin who isn’t up until after 10 most days, and some days even later since she’s been out of work. </p>
<p>“Have a good night?” Allie asks, waggling her brows at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes, but can’t help the little smile from forming on her face, “Yes,” she informs her, sitting down on the couch next to her. </p>
<p>“You’re home pretty early,” Allie comments, “But, I guess you did say that she gets up early like most adults,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and nods her head, “Yeah she had to get to work,” she confirms. “Speaking of work I thought you had a soccer camp this week?” She questions the woman. </p>
<p>“Next week,” Allie reminds her. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Tobin says with furrowed brows, trying to work out the dates. Not that it really matters, though sometimes she likes to go and help Allie with the kids at her training camps. </p>
<p>“So tell me more about this girl. I guess she decided it wasn’t a one time thing?” She asks, putting her bowl down on the coffee table. She turns on the couch, pulling her legs up and facing Tobin so that she has her full attention. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs a bit uncomfortably. “Well it’s not a one time thing, but she doesn’t want a serious thing,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Allie looks at Tobin with a hesitant look, “And you’re okay with that?” She questions. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods her head, but doesn’t look Allie in the eye. “Yeah, I mean the sex is great so why not?” She says, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Plus, she’s unbelievably hot,” she says, almost groaning as she thinks of the sexy woman. </p>
<p>Allie just smirks at her, “Yeah, I didn’t see her for long, but even I could tell that she was hot,” she says honestly. “I just think you should be careful,” she then says carefully. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows, “I can do casual, I do it all the time,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“You don’t do it all the time,” Allie argues. “I mean sure, you’ve had a few random hook ups here and there, but you’ve never really had someone you constantly just have casual sex with,” she points out. “And I could tell how happy you get when you talk to her. I saw you light up the other night at the bar when you saw her and how big you were smiling when she was texting you last night,” she explains. “I just don’t want you to get hurt Tobs,” she says, reaching out and grabbing Tobin’s hand. </p>
<p>“I’ll be fine,” Tobin insists. “Besides, she’s a little too uptight and snobby for my taste. She’d probably be pretty high maintenance to date,” she says, though she feels bad even lying about those things. Sure, maybe they’re partially true, but she doesn’t really think that Christen is a bad person. They’re different, but Tobin really does like her and she honestly doesn’t think that she’s as bad as she’d originally thought. </p>
<p>She just needed to get to know her a little. </p>
<p>And she still doesn’t even really know her. </p>
<p>But she likes what she knows so far. </p>
<p>But that’s it. She likes her, it’s not like she has feelings for her or anything. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Allie finally relents. “I trust you,” she then says with a smile, though she’s still a bit worried about her best friend. </p>
<p>Before she can say anymore, her phone is ringing again. She pulls it out and sees another unknown number and tries not to get her hopes up just for it to be spam again. </p>
<p>“Hello?” She answers, a bit hopefully, much to her dismay. </p>
<p>“Is this Tobin?” </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin replies, her heart racing. </p>
<p>“It’s Ashlyn Harris,” the voice says. </p>
<p>Tobin jumps up off the couch in excitement, startling Allie, “Hi!” She says, a bit too excitedly. “Um hey, how are you?” She questions in a more calm tone, biting down on her bottom lip, a bit nervously. </p>
<p>“I’m good,” Ashlyn replies, sounding a bit amused. “Hey I wanted to offer you the job as my personal assistant, if you still want the position?” </p>
<p>“Yes!” She says a bit too quickly. “I mean, yeah of course, I’d love the job,” she says, hoping to not sound eager. Though, she’s sure that it’s not a bad thing to sound thrilled to get a job offer. She knows that she would want someone to sound excited if she was the one offering a job. </p>
<p>“Great,” Ashlyn says, just as happily. “If you aren’t busy for the day you could stop in around 2 to fill out some paperwork. If you can’t make it today we can schedule another day this week,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“No, I can do today!” Tobin tells her quickly. “I’ll be there at 2,” she says with a smile. Allie is on the couch, gesturing for her to let her know what is going on, but Tobin just keeps swatting at her while trying to focus on the conversation. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’ll see you at two,” Ashlyn confirms. “Have a good morning, Tobin.” </p>
<p>“You too,” she replies before hanging up the phone. She puts it down on the coffee table and then just casually sits down next to Allie with a stoic face. She finds it really hard to keep a straight face though as Allie looks at her, excitedly waiting on her to tell her what happened. </p>
<p>“Seriously Harry?!” Allie finally questions, reaching over to slap Tobin’s arm. “Tell me what that was about!” She says excitedly, knowing that Tobin was expecting a call from Ashlyn and she’s pretty sure that’s what it was. </p>
<p>“I got the job,” Tobin finally says, biting down on her lip to try and contain her excitement. </p>
<p>“Harry!” Allie squeals, jumping across the couch to give Tobin a big bear hug. “I’m so proud of you!” </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and hugs Allie back tightly, “Thank you,” she says sincerely. She pulls away from the hug and lets out a heavy breath, relaxing into the couch. She’d been so stressed out the past few weeks, worrying about money and not finding a job soon and now it just feels like a giant weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. Not only did she get a job, but she got the job that she really wanted. </p>
<p>She’ll work hard as an assistant, but she also hopes that it will lead to bigger things for her in the future.</p>
<p>“So are we celebrating tonight?” Allie asks with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, “Sure,” she shrugs. They’ve been going out a lot recently, but she’s not really complaining. She’s just happy that they’ve all had so much good in their life lately. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>“Tobin this is Ali,” Ashlyn introduces as she stops in front of a woman’s desk. She’d just gotten done downstairs in HR signing an entire novel's worth of paperwork and was heading back up to Ashlyn’s office to wrap everything up when Ashlyn stopped in front of a random woman’s desk. “She’s a writer here and also my wife,” Ashlyn smiles, placing a hand on Ali’s shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. </p>
<p>“Oh hi,” Tobin greets with a wide grin. She had researched Ashlyn a bit, but she didn’t realize that the woman was married. And she also didn’t realize that she was married to a woman, though she’s not entirely surprised. “Nice to meet you, I’m Tobin,” she says, even though Ashlyn had already said her name. </p>
<p>“It’s nice to meet you Tobin,” Ali smiles, standing up from her chair and shaking Tobin’s hand. “Just come and find me if Ashlyn’s too hard on you,” she says with a wink. “I’ll get onto her for you.”</p>
<p>Tobin laughs, and shifts a bit uncomfortably, not really wanting to say anything to upset her new boss, but she also knows that Ali is just joking. </p>
<p>“Come on Tobin,” Ashly says, rolling her eyes at her wife. She starts to lead Tobin to her office once again and almost collides with another girl. “Hey Mal, what’s up?” She asks, seeing the girl looking like she was in a hurry. </p>
<p>“Oh nothing,” Mal smiles. “I was just heading back to my desk. I’m a little late from running some errands,” she says with a bit of a guilty look on her face. </p>
<p>Ashlyn just laughs, “Where’s Pressi? You’re not in too much trouble are you?” She asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Oh no! I called her! She’s still in a meeting and honestly it wasn’t my fault,” she informs them with a grin.</p>
<p>Ashlyn just laughs and nods her head, “Could I ask you for a favor and borrow you then?” Ashlyn asks looking at the girl hopefully. </p>
<p>“Sure!” Mal replies happily. “She’ll be tied up for at least another hour,” she explains, motioning to the closed office door across the floor. </p>
<p>“This is Tobin,” Ashlyn introduces. “She’s my new assistant,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Nice to meet you Tobin,” Mal smiles widely at the girl, shaking her hand. “I’m Mallory, but you can call me Mal,”</p>
<p>“Nice to meet you too,” Tobin says back politely. </p>
<p>“Could you possibly give Tobin here a little tour? I have to be downstairs for a shoot in like 5 minutes,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>Mal just nods her head, still smiling happily, “Yeah of course!” She replies easily. “I’ll even show you all the best spots to hide from your boss for a few minutes,” she says with an exaggerated wink. </p>
<p>Ashlyn just rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the girl, “Don’t get her into trouble before she even starts,” Ashlyn says, though she’s laughing. </p>
<p>“Yes ma’am,” Mal says with a salute. </p>
<p>“Alright Tobin, I’ll see you on Monday. Enjoy your weekend,” Ashlyn tells her with a smile. </p>
<p>“You too, and thank you again!” Tobin says gratefully, before Ashlyn excuses herself. </p>
<p>“Alright! Where should we start?” Mal asks excitedly. “Oh I’ll definitely show you the coffee shop in the lobby. I even know what Ashlyn likes to drink so you can impress her first thing Monday,” she says with a wink. </p>
<p>Tobin smiles gratefully at the girl, “That would be dope, thanks.” </p>
<p>Mal just keeps grinning at her as she grabs her hand and starts pulling her towards the elevators. “You should get Ali something as well. Ali doesn’t like getting any special treatment just because of Ashlyn, but Ash always appreciates when people spoil her wife a little,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, taking a mental note of that. “So what do you do here?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Oh I’m an assistant too,” she replies. “But to the big boss,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Oh that’s pretty cool,” Tobin nods. Honestly, she’d been so focused on researching Ashlyn that she hadn’t even looked into the person that actually runs the magazine. </p>
<p>She’ll definitely try and remember to do that soon. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>When Tobin finally makes it home that afternoon, she’s exhausted. She’d spent the last hour following Mal around and trying to keep up as she talked excitedly about everything. She also was trying really hard to keep track of everything that she needs to remember, which she was finding hard. She really should have brought a notebook with her, but she didn’t expect to be bombarded with so much information before actually even starting the job. She’s also trying to sort through what Mal was just rambling about and what she actually needs to remember to make Ashlyn’s life as easy as she can. </p>
<p>She thought the girl was adorable and super sweet, but she also kept telling her random stories and facts that Tobin is pretty sure she doesn’t need to remember to be successful at this job.</p>
<p>She walks into her apartment and plops down on the couch with a heavy sigh. She’s beyond excited, but she’s also a little nervous. She’s never worked for such a successful magazine before and such a successful stylist. Or any stylist at all to be honest. She’s just worked with photographers. </p>
<p>It’s a lot to learn and remember. </p>
<p>She just really hopes she doesn’t screw it up.  </p>
<p>“Harry! You’re back!” Allie smiles coming out of her bedroom. </p>
<p>“I am,” Tobin smiles. </p>
<p>“So? How was it?” She asks, sitting down on the couch next to Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin sighs, but nods her head with a small smile. “It was great,” she admits. “I mean, it was a little overwhelming, but I really think that I’m going to like it,” she tells her. “I met a few people and so far they’re all really nice. Like too good to be true nice,” she says with a chuckle. “Everyone actually seems to enjoy being at work, it’s refreshing,” she says. </p>
<p>“That’s amazing, Tobs,” Allie grins at her. “You start Monday?” </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin nods, “Bright and early at 8:00 am. Which, I’m pretty sure really means like 7:45,” she says with a wince. “I’ll have to get used to being up early again,” she groans. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I don’t miss that,” Allie tells her. “I mean, I get up pretty early but at least I don’t have to be anywhere and be productive most days,” she says with a grin. “That also means that we have to make the most of this weekend! No more late nights for you during the week,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin nods in agreement, “Yeah, I suppose that’s true. I guess I really have to start being an adult now,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“My little Harry, all grown up,” Allie smiles. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins as Allie pulls her into a tight hug.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>They go out that night and the bar is incredibly crowded. They manage to still get a little booth in the back, but it’s just crawling with people. Which is why Tobin prefers to just come out and have a few drinks during the week, because it’s not nearly as crowded. But, she supposes this is going to be her life now. Having to wait until the weekend like everyone else. </p>
<p>She can barely see the bar through all of the people and she’s having a good time with her friends, but she can’t help herself from trying to spot Christen again. She’d been wanting to text her all day today to tell her that she got a new job and just tell her how excited she was. </p>
<p>But, she knows that’s not really a thing you do with someone you are just supposed to be having casual sex with. So she restrained herself. But, she’s really hoping that she sees her out tonight. And if not, she’s probably going to end up texting her. Especially since she’s a little drunk right now. She’s honestly surprised that she’s held out this long. </p>
<p>“I’m so excited that we’re going to be working together!” Alex says, throwing an arm around Tobin and pulling her into a side hug, which makes Tobin spill a bit of her drink. </p>
<p>But she smiles at the drunken girl, feeling pretty excited herself. “I know, it’ll be pretty awesome,” she grins. </p>
<p>“I’m so sad that I’m left out,” Allie says with a pout, from across the table. “I want to work at Re-Imagine,” she frowns. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, “And what would you do there?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Allie just shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know! I just want to work with you guys!” She pouts. </p>
<p>“Hey you get to live with Tobin!” Alex points out. “It’s only fair that I work with her!” She argues. “I get left out of being a roommate.” </p>
<p>“That’s true,” Allie relents. “Fine, we can all have a little bit of Harry, I guess,” she says with a dramatic sigh. </p>
<p>“You know who else wants a piece of Toby?” Alex asks drunkenly with a mischievous look on her face. “Your bar hottie,” she says, getting closer to Tobin and wiggling her eyebrows. “Where is she?  She should be out celebrating with us!” She shouts. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know where she is,” she says honestly. “We aren’t actually dating,” she reminds them. “It’s just sex.” </p>
<p>“Boo,” Alex pouts, but then takes a sip of her drink and gets distracted by one of her favorite songs playing on the speakers. “Let’s dance!” She suggests with wide eyes and an excited grin. Allie jumps up with her and Alex tries tugging on Tobin’s hand but she refuses to get up. </p>
<p>“You know that I don’t dance,” Tobin smirks. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Alex frowns, knowing she’s had this battle with Tobin more than once and she’s not going to win. “Sit here by yourself then,” she says, before dragging Allie out to the makeshift dance floor they make on the weekends. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help herself from pulling her cell phone out to help entertain her while her friends are gone. Though, watching them drunkenly dance with each other is pretty entertaining in itself. </p>
<p>She opens her messages with Christen, though there aren’t very many. The last one is just Christen sending her her address to come over. </p>
<p>She bites down on her lip and starts to type out a few messages before deleting them and deciding that she probably shouldn’t be texting Christen. Christen told her that she’d text her if she wanted to do anything. Which probably means that she doesn’t. But, it also probably means that she had a bad day at work or something and Tobin really wants to know if she’s okay or needs anything. </p>
<p>Again, probably not something she’s supposed to be worrying about. </p>
<p>But she’s also never been good at rules. Or restraining herself from something that she really wants. </p>
<p>Tobin: Hey did you want to meet up tonight?</p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes at herself for another lame message, but she just can’t not say anything. And she thinks that this sounds pretty casual. It’s definitely a lot more casual than all of the things that she wants to say to her. </p>
<p>She downs the rest of her drink and makes her way through the crowd up to the bar. It takes a few minutes for the bartender to get to her, but as soon as she does she orders another beer and a tequila shot for her and her friends. “Hey um was Christen in here?” She asks the bartender, again trying to sound casual. </p>
<p>“Yeah, she was in here earlier and just had one drink before leaving. You missed her,” the woman tells her with a sympathetic smile. “I think she likes to get out of here before the crowds hit,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and gives her a polite smile, “Thank you,” she says, grabbing her beer and stacking the shots so she can carry them over to the table. </p>
<p>She manages to get everything to the table without spilling much. She glances up to see Allie and Alex still dancing with each other and she just laughs, shaking her head at them. </p>
<p>She feels her phone vibrating in her pocket and quickly pulls it on to see a text back from Christen. </p>
<p>Christen: I don’t know. I’m pretty exhausted. I’m sure you have better things to do on a Friday night. </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns at the message because honestly there is nothing she’d rather be doing than spending time with Christen. Whether they’re out drinking or even just at home just cuddling. </p>
<p>But she knows that she can’t tell her that. </p>
<p>Tobin: I’m with some friends, but I can totally ditch them. I love them but I can’t fuck them like I can fuck you.</p>
<p>She smirks at herself, feeling pretty confident with the text. It’s not too clingy and it’s pretty honest. </p>
<p>Christen: You could. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, shaking her head. </p>
<p>Tobin: Maybe I’ve thought about it before, but no I can’t. They both have boyfriends. </p>
<p>Christen: Too bad for you. </p>
<p>Tobin: Not worried about it. I’d rather fuck you anyway. </p>
<p>Christen: You can come over if you want but I’ll be honest, I may fall asleep on you. So don’t be offended.</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs once more, not even noticing that her friends are walking back over to the table. </p>
<p>Tobin: Well you do owe me an orgasm but I guess you’re not up for the challenge tonight. </p>
<p>Christen: Again, it’s not a challenge. And also, I seem to remember giving you a pretty good orgasm this morning. </p>
<p>Tobin scoffs and rolls her eyes, piquing her friend's interest. </p>
<p>“Are you texting your girlfriend?” Allie asks, making dramatic kissing noises, and Alex joins in, both of them giggling. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes at them, and ignores them, looking back down at her phone. </p>
<p>Tobin: Yes and then I gave you one back. If you’re up for the challenge then I’ll be there in 20 minutes. </p>
<p>Tobin waits for Christen to respond, giving her the okay and when she does, she quickly orders herself a Lyft, knowing it’ll take a bit longer being a Friday night. Thankfully it says it’ll only take 11 minutes to arrive but it only took about 5 minutes to get to Christen’s considering she doesn’t live very far. </p>
<p>She could just walk but she knows that can be kind of dangerous this late and since she’s had a few drinks. </p>
<p>“Tobin! Quit ignoring us!” Allie frowns, reaching over to slap Tobin’s leg. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles at her, “Sorry,” she says sincerely, never liking to be on her phone when she’s hanging out with her friends. “But, I am about to leave you guys,” she informs them, wincing a little. They’ve been out for at least 2 hours now, so she’s pretty sure that she can leave without having to feel guilty. </p>
<p>“It’s not even midnight, Tobs!” Alex whines. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Tobin says, though she’s not really that sorry. </p>
<p>“She’s got a booty call,” Allie says, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>Alex just starts giggling with Allie, making Tobin roll her eyes. </p>
<p>“You’re not wrong,” Tobin admits with a smirk. “And I love you guys, but unless you are going to let me fuck you then I’m out,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>They both roll their eyes very dramatically at her. “You would choose her over us anyway,” Alex says knowingly. “You’ve already got it so baddddd,” draws out. </p>
<p>“I do not,” Tobin tries to argue, though she really doesn’t sound convincing. “Anyway,” she says, when she sees both of them opening their mouths, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” she says before standing up. She gives them both a kiss on the top of their heads before she goes to the bar to close her tab and wait on her Lyft. </p>
<p>“Go get her Tobs! Smash that!” Alex yells after her, and Tobin kind of wants the floor to swallow her up whole. Her friends can be so lame sometimes, but she loves them anyway. </p>
<p>And smash that? Who even says that. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>When Christen opens the door, she’s got her hair pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head, little strands everywhere and she has glasses on. She looks completely adorable and sexy all at the same time and Tobin really doesn’t know how she does it. “Hi,” she says softly, and Tobin can see how tired the woman looks. </p>
<p>“Hey there,” she greets, and steps into the condo, pulling Christen into a tight hug. She feels Christen tense up like she normally does, but this time it doesn’t take long for her to completely relax in Tobin’s arms, wrapping her arms tighter around her. “I’m really glad you told me that I could come over,” Tobin mumbles, nuzzling her face into Christen’s neck. Honestly, she hadn’t realized how much she missed Christen until she had her in her arms. </p>
<p>“Are you drunk?” Christen asks with amusement in her voice. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs, “Maybe a little,” she admits. “I got a job today,” she tells her. “We were celebrating,” she explains. </p>
<p>Christen just nods and pulls away from the hug. “Well congratulations on the job,” she tells her with a sincere smile. “I guess we should keep the celebration going,” she says, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>Tobin grins at her, but then frowns, “Are you sure you’re up for that?” Tobin questions, “You really do look exhausted,” she tells her with a sympathetic smile. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Christen says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>“You know I didn’t mean it like that,” Tobin says with a sigh. “You look beautiful,” she tells her. “You always look so sexy and I don’t even know how you do that,” she says shaking her head. “You’re like so pretty,” she says with a slightly dazed smile.</p>
<p>Christen just raises a brow at the girl, amused by her semi drunk rambling. “Thank you,” she says, this time more sincerely. “But, I’m okay,” she assures her. “Come on,” she says, grabbing Tobin’s hand and leading her into her bedroom. </p>
<p>Before Christen can make it further into her room, Tobin spins her around and presses their lips together in a kiss that leaves Christen a little breathless. “Sorry, but I’ve been here way too long without doing that,” Tobin tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just smiles and continues leading Tobin over to her bed. She sits Tobin down on the end of her bed and then straddles her waist. “So your challenge has been accepted,” Christen says with a smirk, referring to her making Tobin come pretty easily. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles lowly as Christen starts kissing her neck. “Okay,” she says, but then pulls on Christen’s head gently so that she’s looking back at her. “But first, I want to take care of you,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“But, I owe you an orgasm first,” Christen argues. “And you always take care of me,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“I’m not actually keeping score here, I don’t care,” Tobin tells her with a chuckle. “I really just want to make you feel good,” she says, letting her hands wander down to Christen's ass, massaging it in her hands. </p>
<p>“Well, I guess I won’t argue with that,” Christen says with a smirk. </p>
<p>After that, Tobin doesn’t hesitate to grab Christen and flip her over onto her back, making the woman let out a surprised squeal and then start giggling as Tobin hovers over her. “You’re fucking adorable,” Tobin says with a smile, appreciating the smile on Christen’s face and her natural beauty with no make up on. “I love seeing you in glasses,” she admits. </p>
<p>Christen reaches up, adjusting the glasses on her face. “I kind of forgot I was wearing them,” she frowns and starts to take them off. </p>
<p>“No leave them,” Tobin requests. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen relents, letting her hand fall to her side. She’s not used to letting people see her like this, with no make-up and her glasses on. She’s always been sure to make herself look professional and presentable when she knows she’s going to be seeing someone. </p>
<p>And she’ll never admit this but she may have been a little too excited to have Tobin over to even realize she’d already gotten changed and washed her face, getting ready for bed. Normally, she wouldn’t have let someone come over if she was already getting into bed. </p>
<p>But she really wanted to see Tobin. </p>
<p>For the orgasms of course. </p>
<p>Nothing else.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>And Christen actually does end up falling asleep pretty quickly. Tobin had given her another toe curling orgasm that had just made her even more exhausted than she already was. She’d really tried to reciprocate but Tobin could tell by her sluggish movements that she was pretty close to passing out. </p>
<p>So Tobin put her out of her misery and just pulled her into a hug, holding her close to her chest and letting her drift off to sleep. </p>
<p>Honestly, Tobin would have been okay to just come over and not have sex at all. </p>
<p>Though she knows that’s not what casual fuck buddies do. </p>
<p>With a small smile, Tobin looks down at the woman laying on her chest, and runs her fingers through her unruly curls that Tobin had pulled from her hair tie. Tobin loves Christen’s hair and she’d found out that Christen likes having it pulled a little.</p>
<p>Tobin was obviously happy to oblige. </p>
<p>She reaches over Christen as carefully as she can without waking her and turns on the white noise machine. She knows that Christen is already asleep, but she also knows how much Christen likes the sounds and she figures that it’ll probably make Christen have a better night's sleep. </p>
<p>Even if it does still annoy the crap out of her. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>The next morning Tobin wakes when she feels movement on top of her. She lets out a groan and tightens her grip around Christen, trying to stop her from moving. She hears Christen start laughing and it just makes her smile, though she still doesn’t open her eyes.  </p>
<p>“I need to get up,” Christen tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin sighs and finally blinks her eyes open. She looks over at the clock on Christen’s nightstand and sees that it’s just barely after 6am. “It’s Saturday,” she argues sleepily, still not loosening her grip. </p>
<p>“And?” </p>
<p>Tobin looks down at Christen who is still struggling against her bear hug hold. “And why do you need to be up so early?” She asks. </p>
<p>Christen sighs and lets her body relax back onto Tobin, realizing that she’s not going to get out of her grip. “Because I like to get up and do some yoga and meditate,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“You can’t do that in another couple of hours?” Tobin asks through a yawn. “You were exhausted last night, I think you deserve a little more sleep,” she tells her as she starts running her fingers through Christen’s hair once again. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen says simply, pulling herself hard enough to finally escape Tobin’s grasp. </p>
<p>Tobin lets out a whine and tries to reach for Christen again, but the woman is too fast and she’s out of bed before Tobin can reach her. </p>
<p>“You can sleep longer,” Christen tells her. </p>
<p>“But, I need my cuddle buddy,” Tobin says with a pout. </p>
<p>“Well I guess you better go find one,” Christen replies before disappearing into her closet. </p>
<p>Tobin smiles and turns on the bed, bringing one of the pillows down to cuddle it, her eyes set on the closet door that Christen had gone through. “But, I want you,” she says honestly, the pout still on her face. </p>
<p>Christen reappears a few moments later, wearing some tight shorts and a sports bra and Tobin doesn’t even try to be subtle with her staring. “You could always come and do yoga with me,” Christen says with a smile. </p>
<p>Tobin crinkles her nose and shakes her head, “I don’t do yoga,” she tells her. “But, now I know why you’re so flexible,” she says, sending Christen a wink. </p>
<p>Christen just smirks at her. “I’ll be on the balcony,” she informs her. “Get some more sleep so I don’t have to deal with your grumpy ass,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>Tobin gapes at her, “I’m not grumpy,” she says with another pout. </p>
<p>Christen just grins and walks over to Tobin, “Go back to sleep,” she tells her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, before walking out of the room. </p>
<p>It makes Tobin absolutely beam and she snuggles even deeper into the bed, holding Christen’s pillow close to her. It smells like Christen and it’s almost as good as the real thing. </p>
<p>But Tobin can’t really fall back asleep because all she can think about is Christen out on the balcony doing yoga and how she should definitely be out there watching her. Her first mistake was not taking her up on that offer. </p>
<p>She also can’t stop thinking about how soft that forehead kiss had been. And she really doesn’t think that’s fuck buddy behavior. </p>
<p>Maybe Christen is actually starting to like her as well. </p>
<p>Though she knows that she doesn’t need to get her hopes up. </p>
<p>Christen has made it pretty clear what she wants.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Tobin ends up getting out of bed instead of going back to sleep. She glances out the large windows as she makes her way out into the living room and can see Christen doing her yoga. She’s laying on her forearms, her ass in the air, and Tobin can’t help but stare. </p>
<p>“Fuck, she’s going to be the death of me,” Tobin grumbles, trying really hard to resist the urge to go outside and fuck Christen right there on the balcony. </p>
<p>Instead, she heads into the kitchen and starts some coffee, knowing that Christen will probably want some when she finishes. And Tobin could definitely use some. She’s really not used to being up this early anymore, but she knows she’s going to have to start getting used to it. </p>
<p>But, if she could wake up to this sight every morning, it may not be so bad. </p>
<p>She sits down at one of the bar stools as she wait patiently for the coffee to finish and pulls her cell phone out, seeing that she has some missed messages from Allie and Alex. They’re just telling her that they made it home last night, which she’s happy to hear. Though, she’s never really had to worry about them. Even with a few drinks, they’re probably more responsible than she’s ever been. </p>
<p>She scrolls through her Instagram for a few minutes as she coffee finishes up and starts to wonder if Christen has one. She goes to search for her and then realizes that she doesn’t even know Christen’s last name. </p>
<p>“Wow,” she mumbles to herself, shaking her head. </p>
<p>The coffee machine finally beeps and she pockets her phone, moving across the kitchen. She grabs a couple of mugs out of the cabinet and starts to pour a cup for herself and Christen. She then realizes that she doesn’t know how Christen likes her coffee, though she sees her as a straight black coffee drinker. </p>
<p>She carries the two mugs out to the balcony and sits down on one of the chairs and the little outside table set that Christen has. Again, she’s not really surprised but the balcony is almost the size of just their kitchen at home. And it has an amazing view of the city. </p>
<p>“I made you some coffee,” Tobin tells her softly, feeling like she has to whisper with how peaceful it is out here and how relaxed Christen looks. </p>
<p>Christen opens her eyes and glances over at Tobin, “Thank you,” she says with a smile. “I’m almost done. You want to join me?” She asks with a smile, though she knows that Tobin is going to say no. </p>
<p>“Nah, I’ll just enjoy the view,” Tobin smirks. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and goes back to concentrating on her poses. </p>
<p>Tobin sits back quietly, sipping on her coffee and not so subtly watching Christen. And of course, she doesn’t miss how good Christen’s ass looks in those tight shorts or how her abs tighten as she uses her core to hold her balance. </p>
<p>But she also just takes notice of Christen’s features. She looks a lot more at peace and relaxed than Tobin has ever seen her. It’s a rare sight, and it’s beautiful. She looks so at peace and Tobin can’t help but just watch her with a little smile on her face. She likes seeing her look so free and calm. </p>
<p>Christen finishes quicker than Tobin would have liked, but she’s also happy for the company when Christen sits down at the table with her. </p>
<p>“All done?” Tobin questions, pushing the coffee towards her. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen tells her. “I still need to meditate though,” she says. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods. “Do you want your coffee first?” </p>
<p>Christen looks down at it with a small frown, because she has a pretty set routine in the mornings and she likes to meditate before she caffinates herself. But she supposes she shouldn’t make Tobin wait any longer and it was sweet of her to make it for her. “Sure,” she decides, reaching out for the mug. </p>
<p>“I wasn’t sure how you take it so it’s just black. I can grab some cream or sugar or something-</p>
<p>“It’s fine, Tobin,” Christen assures her, taking a sip. “Sometimes, I like a little coconut milk in it, but I like it black as well,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, taking another sip of her own. </p>
<p>“So what are you going to do today?” Christen asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs in response, “I don’t really have plans. Maybe soccer with my friends or something later. We normally play on Saturdays,” she tells her. “Do you like soccer?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen grins and nods her head, “Yeah, I played in college,” she tells her. “For Stanford,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tobin wrinkles her nose at that information, “UNC all the way,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen makes a face at her and shakes her head, “I should have known you went to UNC,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just gasps, looking offended, “What is that supposed to mean?” </p>
<p>“Nothing,” Christen says, shaking her head. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” she says with a playful smile. </p>
<p>“We won 4 consecutive championships while I was there, thank you,” Tobin says with a smug grin. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and shrugs her shoulders, “I guess Stanford went downhill when I left,” she says playfully. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs at her, “Sure.” She says, rolling her eyes. “You can come and play with us if you want,” she offers, a bit hopefully. </p>
<p>But, Christen shakes her head, “No thank you,” she declines politely. “I actually have some plans today,” she says vaguely. “And I’ll probably stop by the office for a bit later,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Oh okay, well...I can get out of your hair whenever you want,” Tobin assures her. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Christen tells her. “I wasn’t going to rush you off. I mean, you were nice enough to make me some coffee so that would just be rude,” she says with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just shakes her head, “All you want me for is coffee,” she says with a dramatic sigh. </p>
<p>“And the orgasms, don’t forget the orgasms,” Christen smirks. </p>
<p>“I couldn’t forget even if I wanted,” Tobin says with a wink. “I really will get going though. I’ll let you meditate and get ready in peace,” she says with a small smile, knowing that she’s probably pushing her luck by being here so long. Hanging out together isn’t really part of their deal, though she wishes it was. She likes just being here with Christen. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods, and Tobin swears she sees a bit of disappointment on her face. But she’s also not sure if she’d just imagined it or wanted to see it.</p>
<p>“Maybe, I’ll see you tonight?” Tobin asks a bit hopefully as she gets up from her chair. </p>
<p>“Maybe,” Christen says simply. </p>
<p>Tobin grabs her mug and offers to take Christen’s but realizes she’s still sipping on it. “I can wash this for you really quick,” she offers. </p>
<p>Christen smiles at the offer, but shakes her head, “It’s fine, Tobin. I’ll do it in a little while,” she assures her, taking the mug out of her hands and putting it back on the table. </p>
<p>“Well I may be out later tonight with my friends so if you want to come out, or if you want to come over or something,” Tobin offers with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’ll just see how my day goes,” Christen says, not wanting to make any promises to her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, a little disappointed. She hoped to make some sort of plans with Christen. Though, she realizes that she’s seen Christen pretty often the past few days and the girl is probably tired of her. She signed up for casual sex occasionally, not a relationship or even a friendship. “Let me know if you need an orgasm later or something,” Tobin says, giving her an exaggerated wink, making Christen laugh.</p>
<p>“Will do,” she promises. </p>
<p>“Get up and hug me. Don’t be rude,” Tobin pouts when she realizes that Christen is sitting down. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, but stands up, “Stop calling me rude,” she tells her, though she doesn’t actually seem that bothered by it. </p>
<p>“Stop being rude then. I want a hug,” Tobin just replies with a cheeky grin. She pulls Christen over to her and wraps her up in a tight hug. </p>
<p>Christen doesn’t even tense up this time, she just hugs Tobin back, letting herself relax into the girl’s strong hold. </p>
<p>And Tobin can’t help herself from burying her face in the girl’s neck, never getting enough of the smell of her or being this close to her. </p>
<p>She pulls back after a moment and looks at Christen a bit unsure. “I know that you said you’d see how your day goes, but do you think we could just go and get some dinner or something?” Tobin asks a bit nervously. </p>
<p>Christen’s brows furrow and Tobin wants to take back everything. </p>
<p>She’d definitely gone too far. She just hadn’t been able to help herself. She can’t get enough of Christen, she’s starting to realize. </p>
<p>She opens her mouth to take it back, but then Christen is talking. </p>
<p>“Are you asking me on a date?” She questions curiously, and honestly she doesn’t look that put off by the idea. </p>
<p>“Psh, no,” Tobin says, though Christen can see through the lie. “I mean I know you don’t want a relationship or anything, but like...you do eat don’t you?” </p>
<p>“Yes,” Christen replies cautiously. “But, Tobin, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she says quietly. </p>
<p>“Right, okay,” Tobin nods, looking defeated. “Well, I’ll see you later,” she says, mustering up a smile. She leans in and kisses Christen on the cheek before pulling back and heading towards the balcony door. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen says with a small sigh, making Tobin pause. “I’ll get dinner with you if we can have sushi,” she says with a small smile. She’s never really cared much about other people’s feelings or gotten close enough to someone to care, but for some reason, seeing Tobin sad just made something twist uncomfortably in her stomach. </p>
<p>Tobin turns back around to look at her, still not sure she’d heard her right. But when she sees Christen smiling at her, Tobin’s grin returns. “Sushi sounds great,” she says happily. </p>
<p>Tobin hates sushi.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you again for reading!! Leave me some comments, I love reading them! Let me know any parts you liked or any questions or requests for the future!! </p>
<p>Also find me on tumblr to chat or for any questions! tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again! </p>
<p>As always, thank you for all of your kind comments, they always make my day!! </p>
<p>Enjoy...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once, Christen is sure that Tobin is gone, she sits back down on her balcony with a small smile, taking in the view and the nice weather. She always feels relaxed after she does a yoga session, but she also knows that she’s feeling a little more relaxed due to a certain big brown eyed girl with a dopey smile. </p>
<p>And of course the great sex that comes with Tobin. </p>
<p>She pulls her phone out and decides to call her older sister, considering she hasn’t spoken to her in a few days, and she’d been telling her to call her soon. She talks with her family pretty frequently, but she’s gotten a bad habit of ignoring them and telling her that she’s swamped with work lately. </p>
<p>They are all pretty close, or at least they used to be. Christen may be guilty of pulling away from them a little bit the last couple of years, but she’ll never admit to that. She knows they have noticed it, but they let her lie and say that she’s just swamped with work. </p>
<p>Her trips home have been way less frequent as well as her phone calls to them. </p>
<p>She walks up to the railing on her balcony and leans against it as she waits for her sister to answer her face time call. </p>
<p>And it only takes a few rings before she’s answering, smiling brightly at Christen, “Hey stranger,” she greets. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes because her sister has been saying that a lot to her lately, even though they still talk pretty frequently. “Hey,” she greets with a soft smile. “How are you?” She asks politely and is also genuinely curious. It’s not that she doesn’t like talking to her family, it’s just taxing sometimes. They worry about her, and she kind of gets tired of them always checking in on her or criticizing her for working so much. </p>
<p>“I’m good.” Tyler nods. “I just woke up,” she laughs, “Not all of us get up before the sun,” she says with a smirk. And Christen can tell by her messy hair and makeup-less face that she really did just get up.</p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes again but with a fond smile, “You’ve never been a morning person,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tyler shakes her head with a grimace, “No way. I don’t see why you’d want to wake up so early when you don’t have to,” she says honestly. “Sleeping is so nice,” she then adds. “Especially when you have someone in your bed with you,” she then adds and gives Christen a look. </p>
<p>“Tyler don’t start,” Christen sighs, already knowing where this conversation is going. It’s been awhile since she’s been in a relationship and they understood for awhile but now her family has kind of been on her back about finding someone. She’s completely happy on her own, but they don’t seem to believe it. She seem to think that she needs to be in a relationship to be happy. </p>
<p>Which is totally not true.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Tyler instantly says, backing off. “But I see that you did have company,” she says, raising a brow at Christen. </p>
<p>“What are you talking about?” Christen asks with furrowed brows. She glances around to make sure that Tobin hadn’t come back for some reason but she doesn’t see the girl anywhere. </p>
<p>“You have two coffee mugs on the table,” Tyler points out, nodding towards the table that she can see behind Christen. </p>
<p>“What the fuck are you? CSI?” She questions rolling her eyes. “It’s from yesterday, I didn’t clean up,” she lies. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tyler says with a smirk, knowing that her sister is a clean freak and super OCD. There’s no way she’d leave a coffee mug sitting out all day and night. “I’m guessing that she’s already gone,” she then says knowingly. “I’m just happy you are having some fun,” she then tells her with a smile. </p>
<p>“What are you guys planning to do for the day?” Christen asks, hoping to change the subject. </p>
<p>But before Tyler can answer, she’s interrupted by Tobin walking back out onto the balcony. “Hey, sorry, I think I left my phone here,” she says with a frown, scanning the balcony, not even realizing that Christen is talking on the phone. </p>
<p>Christen feels her face turn bright red and her heart starts pounding in her chest. She knows that she is never going to live this down with her sister, and that her sister is probably going to tell their younger sister and her dad. “It’s not out here Tobin,” Christen says with a frown and an exasperated sigh. </p>
<p>This girl is such a mess. She’s pretty sure that Tobin would lose her head if it weren’t attached. </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns back at her and then sees that she’s on a phone call. “Oh, sorry,” she says sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she apologizes with a guilty smile. </p>
<p>Christen opens her mouth to respond but then Tyler is talking, “You’re not interrupting!” She says quickly, and Christen turns her head to glare at her sister. “I’m Tyler, Christen’s older, wiser and prettier sister,” she says with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just smiles back, walking right up behind Christen to get a better look at Tyler, “Hi,” she says with a small wave. “I’m Tobin,” she introduces happily. “And, I don’t know about that. Chris here is pretty wise and obviously gorgeous,” she says, sending Christen a wink.</p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen says with a sigh, “It’s probably in the bedroom,” she mumbles, annoyed that Tyler is getting to witness this. She’d purposely waited for Tobin to be gone before she’d called Tyler to avoid this meeting. </p>
<p>“Right,” Tobin nods. “I’m going to grab it and then I promise I’m gone,” she says before looking back over to the phone. “It was nice to sort of meet you, Tyler,” she says with a charming grin. “I’ll see you later, Chris,” she then says before escaping back inside to search for her phone.</p>
<p>Christen hesitantly turns back to her phone, “Don’t,” she says firmly when she sees the shit eating grin on Tyler’s face. </p>
<p>“She’s hot,” Tyler says, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen grumbles, rolling her eyes. She may be annoyed, but she still can’t deny that fact. “She’s fun,” she adds with a shrug. </p>
<p>“So does that mean you’ve actually seen her more than once?” Tyler asks, a bit surprised, and honestly a bit hopeful. She hasn’t seen her sister actually date anyone in a very long time. She just knows that she occasionally hooks up with girls and then plans to never see them again. </p>
<p>Christen makes a face at the question and then shrugs her shoulders, “I’ve ran into her a few times,” she admits. “She’s very persistent,” she adds with a frown. Though, she’s honestly not mad about it. She won’t admit it, but she’s glad that she has been spending more time with Tobin and that it wasn’t just a one time thing. </p>
<p>“That doesn’t matter. I’ve heard of a lot of girls wanting to continue seeing you and you’ve had no problem blowing them off in the past,” Tyler says knowingly. “You actually like this girl,” she accuses. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a loud groan and gives her sister a glare. “I don’t like her.” She says firmly. “But the sex is really good. We’ve both discussed it and it’s just sex,” she tells her. “Nothing more.” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tyler says, but Christen can see that she doesn’t believe her. “So when are you going to come home? Dad misses you,” Tyler says with a frown. “You haven’t been home since Christmas,” she says. She knows that her sister works a lot, but they really aren’t that far away and Christen used to make more of an effort to come home. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Christen says with a frown. “I’m just really- </p>
<p>“Busy, yeah,” Tyler frowns. “That’s what I told him,” she says. “And he says it’s fine, but I know he’s sad. He misses you,” she says softly. “He’s alone now, and I really think it’d help him to get to see you,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“I know,” Christen says, feeling guilty. “I’ll try and work something out soon,” she says, but they both know that it’s probably not going to happen. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tyler nods, not wanting to argue with her sister anymore. They’ve had this same discussion multiple times now and it’s clearly not going to change. And honestly, she knows now that the more she pushes her younger sister the more Christen pulls away.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you bug Channing?” Christen asks, though she feels a little like a petulant child, whining like this. </p>
<p>“Because Channing lives in Colorado, you live like an hour and a half away,” she points out with a frown. “And still, Channing manages to visit more than you do,” she adds. </p>
<p>“I get it. I’ll figure something out,” Christen sighs. “I need to get going though, okay?” </p>
<p>“Sure,” Tyler says softly. “Thanks for taking the time to finally call me back,” she says a bit bitterly. “We’re all just worried about you, we aren’t trying to nag you or annoy you,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“I know, but it’s annoying me anyway,” Christen says, rolling her eyes again. “I’m doing just fine. I don’t need you guys constantly checking on me,” she says, frustrated. </p>
<p>“Okay. Well I love you. Hopefully I’ll see you soon,” Tyler says, giving up on the conversation. </p>
<p>“I love you too,” Christen says simply, before hanging up her phone. </p>
<p>And this is why she doesn’t call her sister.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin ends up going home and getting a couple more hours of sleep when she leaves Christen’s. She hadn’t mentioned it much there, but she was feeling a little hungover and dehydrated after last night. She had drank a decent amount, plus she barely got any sleep after going to Christen’s and then getting up with her and ungodly hour. </p>
<p>Now that she’s rested up, her and Allie have gone out to their favorite cafe around the corner to meet up with Alex for lunch. </p>
<p>She orders herself a breakfast burrito, giving the flirty waitress a small and slightly awkward smile as she hands the menu back over to her. </p>
<p>“That waitress is hot, you should go for it,” Allie says with a grin. </p>
<p>“Yeah, she was blatantly flirting with you. I don’t even think she knew that me and Allie were here,” Alex says, rolling her eyes. “I don’t even think she wrote down our orders,” she frowns, looking back at the waitress as she walks away. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and shakes her head, “I’m sure it’s fine,” Tobin says, knowing that her friends are just being dramatic. “And yeah, she’s pretty but I’m not really interested,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>“How are things going with your bar hottie?” Allie asks curiously, knowing that Tobin had left last night to go sleep over at her place. </p>
<p>“They’re fine,” Tobin shrugs again, trying to sound casual. “We’re going to have dinner tonight,” she informs them. </p>
<p>“Like a date?” Allie asks cautiously </p>
<p>Tobin shifts a bit uncomfortably, “No, not really,” she says honestly. “We’re just going to hang out. I told you guys that it’s not anything serious,” she reminds them and starts to regret even telling them that she’s having dinner with Christen. She knows that they’re going to make it a big deal. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Allie says knowingly with a small sigh. </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” Tobin argues. “I don’t even really like her in that way,” she says, lying through her teeth. “But, she’s pretty cool and dinner will be nice,” she says, nonchalant. “She wants to go and get sushi though,” she adds with a grimace. </p>
<p>“You hate sushi,” Alex points out. </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin sighs. “But, that’s what she chose and I’m sure there will be something there that I’ll like,” she says. “Her and I are definitely very different. I don’t think we ever agree on anything,” she tells them. “Which is why I know that her and I dating wouldn’t work out. But the sex is great and I don’t mind her company,” she says, trying really hard to convince them that that’s all this is. </p>
<p>“If you say so,” Allie says, still not convinced. </p>
<p>“Anyway, are you excited for your first day on Monday?” Alex asks with a smile. “What are you going to wear?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns at the question, “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it,” </p>
<p>“Well make sure you wear something professional. I know that you have plenty of nice clothes hanging in the back of your closet,” Alex tells her knowingly. “Don’t show up in a t-shirt and jeans,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>Tobin just scoffs, “I wasn’t planning on it,” she informs her. “I do know how to be professional,” she says, annoyed that her friend wouldn’t think she’d take this seriously and dress appropriately. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Alex says, raising her hands in the air and backing off, “I’m just making sure,” she tells her. “I really think that this job could do big things for you,” she says with a smile. “Wouldn't it be awesome to get to be a photographer for the magazine someday?” She asks with a big dreamlike grin. “Oh you’re going to be such a big deal and I’m your best friend,” she says excitedly. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but laugh at her excited friend, but rolls her eyes playfully. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she tells them. “It’s just an assistant job.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, and I’m her best friend,” Allie points out, glaring at Alex. </p>
<p>Alex and Allie just start glaring at each other and Tobin chuckles at the two of them, “You are both my best friend,” she informs them. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Allie says with a dramatic sigh, “But I know I’m really your best friend,” she whispers loudly, nudging Tobin and giving her a dramatic wink. </p>
<p>Alex just scoffs at her but turns her attention back over to Tobin, not wanting to continue arguing with Allie. “Anyway,” she says dramatically, eyeing Allie once again and then looking at Tobin. “I really think you need to make an instagram page with all of your photography,” she tells Tobin.</p>
<p>“I know, you tell me that all the time,” Tobin says with a small sigh. </p>
<p>“Yes, because it’s a good idea,” she tells her. “Think about it. You could become so popular and gain so many followers by posting your stuff, because it’s amazing,” she says with a smile. “And don’t you think a magazine like Re-Imagine would have no choice but to hire such an influential photographer? Having a big following will definitely help you out,” she explains. </p>
<p>Tobin nods her head, but sighs, “I know,” she says, because she knows that Alex is right. “I just don’t really do social media. I barely even know how to work instagram,” she tells them with a grimace.  </p>
<p>“I know, it’s really annoying but also kind of adorable,” Alex says with a grin. “You are probably like the only person our age that doesn’t use social media,” she says with a frown. “But, I’m not saying you have to post your life and what you are doing every second of the day,” she tells her. “But, think of it as a business site. Just post your work and give the world an opportunity to see it,” she tries to convince her. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess I can give it a try,” Tobin says with a small frown. “I don’t really know if it’ll work though,” she says, not sounding very convinced. “I mean nobody even knows who I am. How would they even see it?” She questions. </p>
<p>“You have to start somewhere. All it takes is one good photo to go viral or to get shared a lot,” she tells her. “The power of social media is crazy.” </p>
<p>“Yeah okay, I’ll make one later,” Tobin gives in. “But you may have to help me and remind me to actually post things,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Deal,” Alex grins, happily. </p>
<p>“So did you tell mama Heath that you got a job?” Allie questions curiously. “I’m sure she’s thrilled.”</p>
<p>Tobin frowns as she shakes her head, “No not yet,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“Why not?” Allie asks with a frown. She knows that Tobin’s mom has kind of been on her case lately about getting and keeping a job. She loves her, but she also has been afraid that Tobin is too irresponsible and keeps telling her that she needs to get a real job and grow up. </p>
<p>It’s been pretty hard on Tobin because she hates disappointing her mom. And all of her other siblings are pretty successful in life already. She feels a bit like the black sheep of the family. </p>
<p>And the disappointment. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Tobin says, shifting a bit uncomfortably. “I just want to make sure it’s going to work out before I get her hopes up,” she says honestly. “I don’t want to have to disappoint her again by telling her that I screwed it up somehow. I always manage to screw everything up somehow,” she says with a self deprecating sigh. </p>
<p>“That’s not true,” Alex argues, scooting closer to Tobin and putting an arm around her. “And I truly believe that this is going to work out for you,” she assures her. “I think you should tell her. She’s going to be really proud of you,” she says with a soft smile. </p>
<p>“It’s just an assistant job,” she argues. </p>
<p>“Yeah, for one of the best stylists in the country and one of the most popular magazines,” Alex argues. “It’s a big deal, Tobin. Do you know how many women would kill for this job?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess so,” Tobin shrugs. “I’ll tell her soon,” she decides with a nod. </p>
<p>A few moments later, the waitress returns and surprisingly manages to get all of their orders put in, and correctly, no matter how distracted she’d been by Tobin. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin grins widely when Christen opens the door to her condo, and holds out a bouquet of flowers, “Hi,” she greets softly. </p>
<p>Christen raises a brow at her, “I thought we were meeting at the restaurant?” She asks curiously. She carefully reaches out taking the flowers from Tobin and holds them close to her with a small smile on her face. </p>
<p>“I thought I’d pick you up,” Tobin shrugs, the grin still on her face. </p>
<p>Christen opens the door wider and steps aside for Tobin to enter the condo. “This is starting to feel a lot like a date,” Christen says suspiciously, closing the door behind Tobin. </p>
<p>“Psh, no way,” Tobin scoffs, the grin still on her face, not convincing Christen of anything. </p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, a smile on her face as well and she doesn’t even try to argue with Tobin or call her out about this being a date. </p>
<p>She walks into the kitchen and pulls out a vase from one of her cabinets and starts to fill it up with water. “Well you look nice,” she comments, turning back to look at Tobin, appreciating her outfit. She’s wearing some tight fitting black slacks with a gray button up and some light gray Chelsea boots. Her hair is down and Christen thinks it’s one of the first times that she has seen Tobin’s hair fixed and not a snapback sitting crookedly on her head. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Tobin smiles. “I told you I know how to clean up,” she says with a wink. “You look nice too,” she says with a cheeky grin. </p>
<p>Christen looks down at herself and realizes she’s still wearing her silk robe. Her hair is done and her makeup, but she hasn't gotten dressed yet. “Shut up,” she says, rolling her eyes at the woman. </p>
<p>“I’m serious,” Tobin laughs, moving around the kitchen island to Christen’s side. She turns Christen towards her and wraps her arms around her waist. “You always look so good,” she murmurs, pulling Christen into a hug and burying her face in her neck. </p>
<p>Christen smiles and wraps her arms around Tobin’s neck, hugging her back. “Thank you,” she says softly. She pulls back and places a kiss on Tobin’s lips before grinning up at her. “You know....we could always skip dinner,” she suggests lowly, her fingers tangling in Tobin’s hair.</p>
<p>Tobin lets out a hum and leans in kissing Christen a bit more passionately this time. She feels Christen’s arms tighten around her neck, pulling her even closer and hears her let out a soft moan. It’s almost enough for Tobin to give in, “Nice try,” she says with a smirk, finally pulling away. “We’re going out,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>Christen sighs, but can’t help smile at Tobin, “Fine. I’ll go and get dressed,” she says with a small pout.</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and gives Christen’s ass a little slap as she turns to walk into her bedroom. </p>
<p>Christen throws her a glare over her shoulder but then grins before escaping into her bedroom. </p>
<p>When she comes back a few moments later, Tobin’s eyes almost bug out of her head. She’s wearing a tight fitting black dress and heels that make her ass and legs look amazing. Tobin almost wants to take back her offer and just stay with Christen here. “Jesus,” she mumbles, trying to shake her head out of her stupor. </p>
<p>“I clean up nice as well,” Christen says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Yes you do,” Tobin nods, her eyes still wide. She gets up and pulls Christen into her again, pressing their lips together. “Fuck you’re so sexy,” she whispers against her lips. Her hands automatically slide down to Christen’s perfect ass. </p>
<p>“We can still just stay in tonight,” Christen suggests with a small smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin groans and honestly considers it because right now all she wants is to rip this dress off of Christen and fuck her senseless. Or maybe even keep the dress on for round one. She looks way too good in it. </p>
<p>But, Tobin holds strong. She really wants to actually go out with Christen and try and have some real conversation with her. </p>
<p>“Nope,” she says, popping the ‘p’. “We’re going out. Everyone deserves to see you in this dress,” she says with a grin. “But, I’m the only one that gets to see you out of it,” she says, feeling a bit possessive. </p>
<p>Christen wants to comment and tell her that she’s not hers and this is just casual, but she decides not to ruin the mood. </p>
<p>And a part of her may or may not kind of like this possessive side of Tobin. </p>
<p>“Let’s go then,” Christen says, pushing Tobin’s chest so she pulls away from her. “The faster we get this over with, the faster we can come back home,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just gasps, looking a bit offended. “Get this over with? I didn’t realize hanging out with me was just a chore,” she says jokingly. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes at the woman, “I guess we will find out,” she says with a smile. Honestly, they haven’t done much hanging out or talking and Christen really doesn’t even know how it’s going to go. She knows that the sex is great between them and she doesn’t mind Tobin hanging around a bit afterwards, but she’s not sure how well they’ll get along or what they’ll have to talk about over dinner. They aren’t exactly similar. </p>
<p>“My car is parked out on the street,” Tobin informs her as they walk out of the elevator. </p>
<p>“We can take mine,” Christen suggests. </p>
<p>Tobin looks at her with a small frown, “Yeah you’re right. My car is kind of a piece of shit,” she says with a small laugh. Honestly she loves her old car, but she knows that Christen has expensive taste and probably doesn’t want to be seen pulling up somewhere in a piece of junk. </p>
<p>Christen just looks at Tobin, “We can take yours, I don’t mind,” she assures her. “I was just saying we could take mine if you want,” she then adds with a small shrug. “Let’s just take yours,” she then adds, seeing the insecurity in Tobin's features. </p>
<p>But, Tobin continues frowning, “You’ve never seen my car,” she points out. “It’s old and sometimes, I have a hard time getting her to start,” she warns. </p>
<p>Christen just smiles, “It’s fine, Tobin,” she assures her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, still a bit unsure. She’s never really been embarrassed by her car before, but as they approach it, she’s starting to feel more and more insecure about it. Christen has all these nice things and is used to a certain amount of fancy things and Tobin doesn’t have any of that. She doesn’t want Christen to judge her. “Well, here she is,” Tobin says with an awkward chuckle, putting a hand on her car. </p>
<p>“I like it,” Christen smiles. </p>
<p>“You don’t have to lie,” Tobin says with a laugh. She opens the passenger door for Christen and waits for her to get settled in before closing the door and moving around to the drivers side. </p>
<p>“I’m not lying,” Christen tells her honestly. “I like it. It’s cute and charming and totally you,” she smiles. </p>
<p>“So you’re saying that I’m a piece of crap?” Tobin tries to joke. </p>
<p>“Tobin, just because your car isn’t the most expensive doesn’t mean it’s crap or even a bad thing,” she tells her. “I like it,” she says again, more firmly. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin relents, nodding her head. She turns the key, saying a little prayer in her head that it’ll actually start and not embarrass her even further. Thankfully, it doesn’t take too long before it’s roaring to life and Tobin thanks God, as she lets out a relieved sigh. “So where are we going?” She then asks turning towards the woman. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs, “I sent you the place,” she reminds her. “But, I don’t mind. If you know a better place or something,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin just grimaces and shakes her head. “No, I don’t know a better place,” she says honestly, leaving out the part about her not even liking sushi. “I just don’t really remember the address,” she tells her. “I can put it in my gps on my phone though,” she says, pulling her phone out. </p>
<p>“It’s okay. It’s not far from here, I can just direct you,” Christen assures her. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and pulls out of her parking spot, heading down the road. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>When they get inside, Tobin is very happy that she’d decided to dress up because the place is pretty nice. She honestly still feels a bit under dressed and a little self conscious. She’s not really used to going to fancy places like this and always feels a bit out of place. </p>
<p>Christen on the other hand, waltz’ right up to the host stand and the hostess gives her a smile and guides them to a table in the back, without even another word. </p>
<p>“Come here often?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen blushes lightly, “Yeah,” she admits. “I’m kind of a creature of habit,” she informs her. “I find certain places that I like and I tend to frequent them,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>Tobin just hums and nods her head, “I understand that,” she says. “Me and my friends have a couple of places that we go to pretty frequently,” she tells her. “Though, I do like trying new things,” she says. </p>
<p>“I have a hard time with new things,” Christen admits with a small frown. </p>
<p>“Well, maybe we will have to work on that,” Tobin says with a smile. “We need to get you out to some new places, and get you out of your comfort zone,” she says, and Christen just frowns at her. </p>
<p>“Maybe,” Christen says, though she doesn’t sound too sure. </p>
<p>“I think it’s a great idea,” Tobin continues smiling, even through Christen’s discomfort. “And it means that I get a second date,” she says, giving Christen a wink. </p>
<p>“This isn’t a date,” Christen reminds her. </p>
<p>“Right, right,” Tobin says, clearly not phased. </p>
<p>“You’re insufferable,” Christen says with an affectionate smile. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins wider at her and then starts to look over the menu. “So what do you get here?” She questions, frowning when she sees all the sushi options. None of it really looks very appealing to her and she’s hoping that she can come across something that she likes. </p>
<p>But, she doesn’t really. </p>
<p>So she just lets Christen order a few things for them to split. She’ll just have to suffer through some of it. </p>
<p>But it’s totally worth it. Especially getting to see Christen in that dress. </p>
<p>“So what do you do in your free time?” Tobin asks curiously, once all the food is placed in front of them and the waitress has left them alone again. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns and shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know, I don’t really have a lot of free time,” she says honestly. “Work keeps me pretty busy,” she tells her. “Speaking of, I’m sorry to do this but I really need to check my emails. I’m waiting on something kind of important,” she says with a frown, pulling her phone out. </p>
<p>Tobin reaches across the table and takes the phone out of Christen’s hand making her frown. “No phones,” she tells her sternly. “It can wait another 30 minutes,” she says, hoping that Christen will agree. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Christen sighs, not even trying to get her phone back. </p>
<p>“That was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be,” Tobin smiles at her. “Honestly, I was going to just give you your phone back,” she smirks, making Christen’s mouth open and then pout a bit at her. “But now I’m keeping it,” she adds when she sees Christen reaching for it. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes, but picks up her chopsticks and starts to eat the sushi in front of them. </p>
<p>“So anyway, back to your free time hobbies,” Tobin questions, picking up a piece of sushi that looks the least intimidating. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Christen sighs again. “I try and go visit my family when I can. I like to go to the beach and hang out with my dogs,” she informs her. “I mean, I guess they’re my sisters dogs now, but we got them when I was still living at home,” she says with a small shrug. “And they love me more,” she adds with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, loving the way that Christen seems to relax when she talks about her home and her dogs. “You don’t seem like a dog person,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns, “Well, I am,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“That’s cute,” she says with an affectionate smile. </p>
<p>Christen just shifts a bit uncomfortably at the praise, “Who doesn’t like dogs?” She questions. </p>
<p>“I don’t know. Psychopaths,” Tobin shrugs. </p>
<p>“So you thought I was a psychopath?” Christen questions, raising a brow at her.</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, “No,” she assures her. “You just seem like you’re so clean and neat and proper. Dogs are messy and unpredictable,” she tries to explain. “I just can’t see you like rolling around on the ground with a dog and letting them lick you and stuff. Not to mention a dog in your pristine condo,” she points out. </p>
<p>“Well I don’t have a dog at home with me,” she tells her. “But, I do play with our dogs when I’m there,” she shrugs. “You don’t really know much about me,” she reminds Tobin. </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin nods. “And honestly, you’re a complete mystery. You are turning out to be the opposite of everything I have thought about you,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“Looks can be deceiving,” Christen retorts. “You can’t judge a person just based off what they look like or material items,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin nods, “I know that,” she says with a guilty smile. “I’m sorry. I guess I’ve kind of judged you,” she admits. “Though, some of the things I’ve thought are still true,” she adds. “You’re still a little princess,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, “Stop calling me that,” she says with a scowl, though she knows that Tobin isn’t going to stop. She also knows that she can be a princess sometimes. But she doesn’t think it’s a bad thing. “I kind of judged you too, I guess. Though, I’m still not sure I’m wrong about any of those judgements” she then admits. </p>
<p>“Yeah? And what have you thought about me?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>“That you are smug and cocky, which you are,” she points out, narrowing her eyes at the smug look on Tobin’s face. </p>
<p>Tobin cracks a grin, not even trying to deny it. </p>
<p>“That you are messy, which you are,” Christen says, and again, Tobin can’t really deny it. </p>
<p>“I like organized chaos,” Tobin tries to defend. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs, “What does that even mean?” </p>
<p>“It means that everything looks like it’s a mess and thrown around, but I also know where everything is,” she explains to her. “But yeah, I guess mess doesn’t really bother me,” she says with a shrug. “I have other things to focus on than everything being put up nice and neat all the time. Besides, I like my place to look like it’s actually lived in,” she retorts. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns, “There isn’t anything wrong with being neat and clean,” she argues. </p>
<p>“I guess not. It just feels like I can’t touch anything in your condo or I’m going to mess it up. It’s not comfortable and homey,” she says. </p>
<p>Christen folds her arms across her chest and gives Tobin a small glare, “It’s not your home, so I guess it doesn’t matter,” she says, growing a bit upset at the criticism. She’s always been a little OCD and she knows that sometimes it’s over the top, but she gets anxious when things aren’t perfect. </p>
<p>“You’re right,” Tobin says, backing off. “I’m sorry, I’m not meaning to upset you,” she says, looking guilty. “Your place is nice,” she assures her. “And if you like it then that is all that matters,” she says with a smile. “So back to judging me. What else you got?” She asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen swallows a piece of sushi and lets out a humming sound, “You are annoyingly carefree,” she says, which makes Tobin frown, confused. “You just don’t seem to really care about anything. Like nothing bothers you or gets you upset.” She explains. </p>
<p>“And that’s a bad thing?” Tobin questions. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Christen shrugs. “I mean, it’s annoying for me,” she adds with a small smirk. “I tried so hard to brush you off and be cold to you, but you just kept trying and acting like it never bothered you,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin laughs, throwing her head back. “I don’t think you are complaining,” she points out. “You love spending time with me,” she says knowingly. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen says sarcastically, rolling her eyes, but she has a small smile on her face. “But, also it just seems like maybe you don’t care enough about anything. I guess that could be discomforting to some people,” she tells her. “Maybe like you don’t really care about them or something,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“I do care. About a lot,” Tobin informs her. “But you don’t seem to want me to care about you, so you haven’t gotten to see that,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Fair enough,” Christen relents. </p>
<p>“Sometimes, I care about things too much,” she admits. “But, I’ve also gotten good about hiding how much I care and just brushing things off like it doesn’t bother me. Really a lot of stuff bothers me, I just try not to let it show,” she says honestly. “I don’t like to stew in my feelings or let them get me down,” she explains. </p>
<p>Christen takes in Tobin’s words and nods her head. “You shouldn’t hide how you feel,” Christen tells her, though she knows that she is being a hypocrite. Though, she’s never really been great at hiding how she feels. Which is why she’d prefer to just not get close enough to anyone in the first place. It’s a lot easier that way and involves a lot less pretending and a lot less hurt feelings. </p>
<p>“Maybe, but most of the time it’s for other people,” Tobin says, giving Christen a look. </p>
<p>And Christen immediately knows that she’s talking about her. And she doesn’t want to open that can of worms. “Do you not like the food? I’ve barely seen you eat anything,” she points out, wanting to change the subject. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her an embarrassed smile, “I don’t really eat sushi,” she admits. </p>
<p>Christen’s eyes widen, “Then why did you agree to come here?” She asks, looking at Tobin like she’s crazy. </p>
<p>“Because you wanted to,” Tobin shrugs. </p>
<p>Christen gives her a soft smile, “Tobin you could have told me that you don’t like sushi,” she tells her gently. “We could have gone somewhere else.” </p>
<p>Tobin just shifts uncomfortably, “You said if we go out we have to get sushi. It was hard enough convincing you to come out,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs, “I’m sorry,” she says softly. “It’s not that I don’t want to be here or hang out with you, Tobin,” she tells her. “I just...I don’t really do this. I don’t date or even really have friends,” she admits. </p>
<p>“I can see that,” Tobin tells her honestly. “I just wanted to make you happy,” she adds with another shrug. </p>
<p>Christen smiles back at her and tries to ignore the little butterflies flying around in her stomach, or the feelings that are starting to arise in her. She worked so hard to prevent feelings like this from happening. “Okay, let me get the check and then we will go and get you a burger or tacos or whatever it is that you eat,” she says, looking around for the server. </p>
<p>“No, it’s fine. We don’t have to do that,” Tobin says quickly, shaking her head. She really doesn’t want to be an inconvenience. </p>
<p>“Well we are going to,” Christen tells her with a smile. “And from now on, please don’t do anything that you don’t want to do just because you want to make me happy,” she asks with a hopeful look on her face. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin agrees, though she’s not sure it’s a promise that she can keep. She’s always been a people pleaser. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>They end up just going to a taco stand nearby that Tobin promises she’s fine with. Christen had been pretty persistent in asking and making sure she’s not just telling her that to make things easy. But eventually she’d given in and just let Tobin get herself some tacos from the truck. Christen even gets herself one, considering she hadn’t even finished eating at the restaurant before getting up and leaving. </p>
<p>“I love tacos,” Tobin says happily, as they sit down on a bench on the sidewalk. </p>
<p>“Good,” Christen says with a smile, pleased that they’ve found something Tobin seems to actually like. </p>
<p>Christen just looks down at hers a bit skeptical. “What’s wrong?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen just makes a face and shrugs her shoulders, “That truck didn’t seem very sanitary,” she frowns. </p>
<p>Tobin laughs as she takes a bite of her own taco, not at all worried about how clean the truck had been. “Okay, Princess,” she says, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>Christen scoffs again, but doesn’t even try to fight with her about the nickname anymore. </p>
<p>“Eat your taco,” Tobin tells her, noticing that Christen is still studying it. </p>
<p>Christen looks up at her with a glare, “Don’t tell me what to do,” she warns her. </p>
<p>Tobin smirks at her, “You like when I tell you what to do,” she says, suggestively. </p>
<p>Christen’s face turns bright red at the comment and she looks away from Tobin, looking back down at the taco in her hand. She carefully takes a bite of the messy food, trying to look as graceful as you possibly can while eating a street taco. Half of it ends up falling out and back onto the little container it was sitting in and Tobin just laughs at her. </p>
<p>“And?” Tobin questions, watching the girl chew. </p>
<p>“It’s good,” Christen admits, mouth full. </p>
<p>“Great,” Tobin beams. “Now finish your taco so that I can go and eat your taco,” she says with a wink. </p>
<p>“Tobin!” Christen says, with wide eyes, making Tobin burst out into laughter. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>They end up going back to Tobin’s place instead of Christen’s. Christen had been a little hesitant on the idea because she always prefers to be in her own home. Plus, she knows how messy Tobin’s apartment is and it kind of drives her crazy. But, Tobin had argued that they always go to her place and it’s only fair. </p>
<p>Christen ends up letting her have her way. </p>
<p>Which is another thing that she is not used to. </p>
<p>But, she’s learning that Tobin has an effect on her that nobody has ever had before. </p>
<p>She’s not really sure how she feels about it. </p>
<p>When they get into Tobin’s bedroom, it’s still a mess just as Christen had remembered. She frowns, looking around and then looks to Tobin who just gives her a grin and shrugs her shoulders. </p>
<p>“I knew we should have gone to my place,” Christen grumbles, trying to make her way to the bed without stumbling over something. She then starts throwing clothes off the bed and realizes that it’s probably half of Tobin’s wardrobe on the bed. </p>
<p>“Sorry, I couldn’t decide what to wear earlier,” Tobin says with a small blush as she helps move the clothes from the bed, onto a chair on the other side of her room. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help herself from grinning at the thought of Tobin going through all of her clothes, trying to look nice for her. </p>
<p>“Okay, all clean,” Tobin says, once she finishes throwing the clothes off the bed. </p>
<p>“I wouldn’t say clean,” Christen mutters. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks at her, “Would you like for me to put them away, or do you want me to fuck you?” She questions, wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist. “Because I really just want to rip this dress off of you,” she tells her, leaning down to kiss Christen’s neck. </p>
<p>“I want you to fuck me,” Christen can’t help but moan, her arms wrapping around Tobin’s neck. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes darken and she pulls back with a smirk. Her hands slide behind Christen, easily unzipping the back of her dress, and pushing it down her torso. “Lay on the bed,” Tobin instructs her. </p>
<p>Christen does as she’s told, not even bothering to put up a fight anymore. She normally feels the need to be in control of everything, but she’s finding it kind of freeing to let loose and let someone else be in control for once. Though, she would never just let anyone be in control. </p>
<p>There’s something about Tobin that makes her trust her. </p>
<p>But that in itself is also kind of scary. </p>
<p>Christen pushes her dress down over her hips and pulls it off of her legs, also going to take her heels off. </p>
<p>“No, leave those,” Tobin instructs. </p>
<p>Christen furrows her brows and then looks up at Tobin, seeing the look of pure lust in her eyes. She leaves the heels on and lies back on the bed, in just her lingerie and heels. And yes, maybe she picked out some lingerie especially for tonight. </p>
<p>And it’s not because this was a date or anything, but she knew that tonight was going to end this way. </p>
<p>I mean, that is what this relationship is. </p>
<p>It’s sex. </p>
<p>“Fuck, I still can’t get over how sexy you are,” Tobin groans, standing at the edge of the bed, just taking in the sight of Christen laying in front of her.  </p>
<p>But then Christen sits up and reaches for Tobin, and unbuttons her shirt. She pushes it off the woman’s shoulders, letting it fall carelessly to the ground. “You’re pretty sexy yourself,” she says honestly, letting her hands run down Tobin’s defined stomach. “You looked so good tonight,” she tells her. “I like seeing you all dressed up,” she admits. “I had a hard time keeping my hands off of you tonight,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah?” Tobin asks with a smirk of her own. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen nods, her hands sliding down to undo Tobin’s belt and unbutton her pants, revealing a bit of her briefs underneath. </p>
<p>But, before she can pull them down all the way, Tobin grabs her hands and pushes her back onto the bed, crawling on top of her. She leans down and kisses her hard, forcing her tongue into Christen’s mouth, making the girl moan and arch up into her. </p>
<p>“I’m not sure if I like you wearing a bra or not wearing one better,” Tobin admits, pulling away to look down at the lacy fabric. </p>
<p>Christen starts to laugh, but it turns into a moan as she feels Tobin’s hot mouth around her nipples, through the thin fabric. “Take it off,” Christen requests, wanting to feel more. Her fingers tangle in Tobin’s hair as she arches her chest up into Tobin’s mouth. </p>
<p>“I don’t know...” Tobin says with a smirk. “I kind of like it,” she says with a grin. She starts placing kisses down Christen’s stomach, sucking on her hip bone right above her underwear. </p>
<p>“Fuck, how do you get me so worked up so fast?” Christen asks, already feeling herself soaked. </p>
<p>“I’m good at what I do,” Tobin says with a smug grin. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns, “Yeah, I’m sure you’ve had plenty of practice,” she says a bit bitterly. </p>
<p>“Are you jealous?” Tobin questions, looking up at Christen with a raised brow. </p>
<p>“Of course not,” Christen says immediately, but it’s not very convincing. “You can do whatever you want,” she tells her breathlessly, still trying to convince both of them of that.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods. “But, I really meant that I’m good at doing this to you. It feels like we’ve done this forever. I already know exactly what you like and what you need,” she says softly, before biting down on the skin above Christen’s underwear, making her moan. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks, proving her point. </p>
<p>“It’s like your body was made for me,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen wants to comment on the seriousness behind that, but she doesn’t. She’s too turned on right now to really protest or try and tell her that this is just casual and she shouldn’t be saying things like that. And she definitely doesn’t want to ruin the mood or have Tobin stop. </p>
<p>The scary thing is that she kind of feels that way too. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>The next morning, Christen wakes up and isn’t surprised to find Tobin still sleeping. She smiles softly at the girl and reaches out, brushing some of Tobin’s messy hair out of her face. The girl doesn’t even flinch at the movement and Christen just lets out a soft laugh. She’s realizing that Tobin sleeps like a rock. </p>
<p>Carefully, she pulls herself out of bed, and searches for her clothes. But then she frowns, because she really doesn’t feel like putting her dress back on from the night before. So she gets up and goes through some of the clothes on Tobin’s chair, finding a T-shirt. She brings it up to her face and smells it, deciding that it’s at least clean and just not put away yet. </p>
<p>She slips the shirt over her head, before glancing back over at Tobin. She’s still sleeping soundly, but she’s pulled the pillow down against her chest, hugging it close to her body. </p>
<p>Christen just smiles and walks out of her bedroom, looking for the kitchen and hoping that Tobin has some coffee. </p>
<p>She’s relieved when she sees a keurig sitting on top of the counter with some pods next to it in a basket. </p>
<p>While she’s waiting on her coffee to brew, she hears a sound behind her, slightly startling her. She turns around with a smile, expecting to see Tobin but is met by a blonde woman, staring at her with wide eyes. “Oh, hi,” Christen says awkwardly, suddenly becoming very aware of what little clothes she is wearing.</p>
<p>“Hello,” Allie says with a smirk, taking in Christen’s outfit. </p>
<p>Thankfully, it hangs low enough to cover most of her.</p>
<p>Christen still feels her face turn bright red. “Um, I-...I’m sorry, I didn't know anyone was here,” she says feeling embarrassed. </p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Allie tells her. “I’m Allie, Tobin’s roommate,” she introduces herself. “I’d shake your hand, but I know where those hands have been,” she laughs, making Christen turn even brighter red.</p>
<p>Christen just clears her throat, trying to gain some of her composure back, “Oh,” Christen says with furrowed brows. “I didn’t realize that Tobin had a roommate,” she admits. She definitely would not have walked out here like this if she’d known. But, she supposes that she shouldn’t be surprised. It’s hard for most people to afford to live alone here.</p>
<p>Allie just scoffs at her, “She never even mentioned me? I’m offended,” she says with a laugh. “Though, I guess you two didn’t do much talking,” she adds with a wink, just making Christen’s face turn red again.</p>
<p>“Yeah, sorry,” Christen finds herself apologizing again. Normally, she’s a lot more confident than she is right now, but she’d been pretty caught off guard and thrown at the fact of running into Tobin’s roommate. She definitely never intended on doing that. She honestly should have gotten up earlier and just gone home like she normally does. “I was just making some coffee for me and Tobin. Do you want some?” She asks, wanting to be polite. </p>
<p>“Yeah, sure,” she nods. “I was about to make some breakfast,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods. “Um, I’m going to go and change and wake Tobin up,” she mumbles, before practically running out of the kitchen.</p>
<p>Once she gets into the room, she lets out a heavy sigh, trying to get some of her confidence back and stop feeling so flustered and embarrassed. When she feels herself a bit calmer, she walks over to the bed and climbs on it, next to Tobin. “Tobin,” she says gently, trying to shake her awake. “Tobs,” she says a little louder. </p>
<p>Finally, Tobin starts to rouse awake, her face scrunching up into a grimace. “No,” she groans, snuggling back into the pillow. </p>
<p>“Wake up,” she tells her, amused. She always finds it funny to see a morning, grumpy, Tobin. </p>
<p>“I don’t wanna,” Tobin says stubbornly. </p>
<p>“I met Allie,” Christen tells her. </p>
<p>And that’s all it took. Tobin’s eyes snap open and she looks up at Christen with a worried expression. “You did?” </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen nods. “I didn’t realize you had a roommate so she got to see me almost naked,” she says with a smirk. She’s still a little embarrassed, but she knows the whole thing was kind of funny. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns and then sits up, looking at Christen, noticing that she’s just wearing one of her t-shirts. “She shouldn’t get to see you naked,” she says with a pout. “Only I can see you naked,” she grumbles. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs, shaking her head at the girl. “Well, you could have told me that someone else lives here,” she informs her, narrowing her eyes. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Tobin says, feeling guilty. “I didn’t really think about it,” she adds. “Did she say anything or give you any trouble? She can be kind of nosey and annoying,” she says, worried that Allie said something she shouldn’t have. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen shakes her head. “I ran out of there pretty quickly,” she says with a chuckle. </p>
<p>“Good,” Tobin nods. She blinks her eyes sleepily a few times and then leans forward kissing Christen softly. “I like seeing you in my t-shirt,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen smiles against her lips and presses another against them before pulling away. “Come on, I made coffee,” she tells her with a smile. </p>
<p>Tobin glances over at the clock and realizes that it’s a little before 8am. “You’re up late,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes, “Yeah, your bad habits are rubbing off on me,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“I like rubbing off on you,” Tobin says wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, “Your lines are so bad,” she tells her with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and pulls Christen down on top of her. “Well, they’ve gotten you in my bed multiple times,” she argues. </p>
<p>“Yeah, your lines. That’s what did it,” she says, rolling her eyes playfully. </p>
<p>Tobin pulls Christen into another kiss, “Yeah? What was it then?” Tobin asks, pulling away, a cocky grin on her face. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a hum and brings her hand up to scratch her chin like she’s really thinking about it. “I honestly don’t know,” she says with a smirk. “Maybe, I’m going crazy or something,” she tells her, making Tobin gasp feigning offense. Christen just laughs and shakes her head, looking down at Tobin, “You were pretty persistent and you never gave up,” she tells her. “I guess I liked that,” she shrugs. “Plus, you are kind of hot,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Kind of?” Tobin asks, raising a brow. </p>
<p>“Very,” Christen corrects, leaning down to kiss Tobin again. “Now, come on. I need coffee,” she says, climbing off of Tobin and off the bed. </p>
<p>Tobin just pouts, “No, come back to bed,” she says, reaching out for her. </p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, “No. I already told Allie we’d be back and that I made coffee. She says she’s making breakfast,” she informs Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen at that and she climbs out of bed. “I hope she made bacon,” she says with an eager grin, heading for the door. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen chastises. Tobin just turns to look at her confused. “Clothes,” she points out, looking at Tobin’s naked body. </p>
<p>“Oh right,” Tobin grins, “I just got so excited,” she says, making Christen laugh. </p>
<p>Once they finally re-emerge, Allie almost has breakfast ready for them.</p>
<p>“Oh you are the best,” Tobin says with a grin, hugging her roommate from behind as she watches her cook bacon in the frying pan. </p>
<p>Allie smirks at her and pats one of her hands before going back to cooking. “I figure you guys worked up an appetite,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins and walks away from Allie, going over to help Christen grab all three of the coffee mugs. “We don’t have coconut milk so you’ll just have to drink it black,” Tobin tells her. “Or we do have some sort of Starbucks creamer that Allie uses,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Black is fine,” Christen assures her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, guiding Christen around to sit up at the bar in the kitchen. </p>
<p>“Did you girls have a good night?” Allie asks, putting the bacon on a plate and turning the stove and everything off. </p>
<p>“Yup,” Tobin grins happily. “We had tacos,” Tobin tells her. </p>
<p>“Gross, Tobin. I don’t need to hear about your sex life,” Allie says jokingly. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes at her friend, and then looks over to see Christen blushing, which makes her smile. “Shut up, Allie,” she says, choosing not to enable her and further embarrass Christen. “I got this one to eat off of a food truck,” she says proudly. </p>
<p>Allie just raises a brow, “You’ve never eaten from a food truck?” She asks, looking over to Christen.</p>
<p>“She’s kind of a Princess,” Tobin whispers loudly. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes and nudges Tobin. “I’m not a Princess,” she says, looking back to Allie. </p>
<p>“She is, but it’s totally adorable,” Tobin decides. </p>
<p>Allie just smiles, watching the two interact and joke with each other. She’s happy that Tobin has found someone that she seems to like so much. She’s just a little worried after everything that Tobin has told her about their relationship. She can see now that it’s totally not just sex. </p>
<p>Though, she’s not sure that Christen wants to have an actual relationship with her. </p>
<p>Which makes her a little hesitant to being too friendly to the girl. </p>
<p>She’s worried she’s going to hurt her.</p>
<p>“Alright, I made eggs, bacon and some toast,” she says with a smile, putting it all onto plates in front of them. There is some Nutella or jam if you want it for your toast,” she tells Christen. “Have whatever you’d like,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>“Oh, I’m not really hungry,” she says with a small frown. </p>
<p>“She doesn’t really eat breakfast,” Tobin informs the woman. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Allie frowns. “Well, I made plenty so help yourself if you want,” she says with a small shrug. </p>
<p>Christen can tell that she’s sort of upset by her not wanting the food that she’s made for them and she feels a little bad. “Honestly, I should probably get going,” she says, turning towards Tobin. “I need to get some work done,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“But, it’s Sunday,” Tobin frowns. </p>
<p>“Yeah well, my job never rests,” she tells her. “I’m just going to grab my things and grab a Lyft,” she says. </p>
<p>“No, I’ll drive you home,” Tobin insists, standing up from her stool as well. “I made you come back here, it’s the least I can do,” she says. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Christen shakes her head. “Stay and have breakfast,” she says. </p>
<p>“I want to,” Tobin insists with a small frown. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs, but can’t help smile at the persistent girl. “Okay, fine,” she agrees, before heading into the bedroom to gather up her things. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>When they arrive at Christen’s condo, Tobin puts her car into park and turns towards Christen, “Thank you for coming out with me last night,” she says with a smile. “I know that you don’t really like to do stuff like that,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“I had a good time,” Christen says honestly. </p>
<p>“Good,” Tobin says, absolutely beaming. “Next time we are trying something new,” she tells her matter of fact. </p>
<p>“Next time?” Christen asks, raising a brow. </p>
<p>“You know like next time as in just hanging out. Like friends or whatever, you know, totally normal,” Tobin says with a grin, trying to brush it off. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and shakes her head, “Are you breaking our rules and starting to have feelings for me?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“What? Psh, no way,” Tobin says back, shaking her head vigorously. “I barely even like you,” Tobin says with a cheeky grin. </p>
<p>Christen grins back at her, but then turns serious, “Tobin,” she says softly. “I really don’t think I can do a relationship right now,” she says honestly. “I really need you to be honest with me because the last thing that I want is to hurt you,” she says, reaching over and grabbing Tobin’s hand. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns at her and looks down at her lap. “I don’t know. I don’t want to stop what we are doing, but yeah I guess I kind of want more,” she says with a sigh.</p>
<p>Christen nods her head, letting out a sigh of her own. She leans her head back against the headrest as she thinks Tobin’s words over, not really sure where they go from here. “Tobin, I like you,” she says honestly. “But, I really don’t think that I can be in a relationship yet,” she says again. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods. “Can we just keep hanging out then? I won't pressure you or anything but we can see where it goes?” She asks hopefully. </p>
<p>Christen grimaces, “I don’t know,” she says unsure. “I don’t know when or if I’ll ever be ready,” she says. </p>
<p>“I’m very patient,” Tobin tells her with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles, “I don’t think that’s true,” she retorts. </p>
<p>“Maybe not,” Tobin frowns. “But, I can be, with you,” she says honestly. “I just know that I don’t want to stop seeing you. But I realize you don’t want a relationship and I won’t pressure you and if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable you can just tell me,” she tries to reason with her. </p>
<p>Christen sighs again and then looks over at Tobin, considering her options. She really doesn’t want to stop seeing Tobin either, but she also doesn’t want Tobin to get hurt. And she really doesn’t want to be the one hurting her. </p>
<p>But, she truly does think she could eventually want a relationship with Tobin. </p>
<p>Either way, she just knows that she wants to keep seeing her.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen finally nods. “I guess we can do that. But seriously, this isn’t a relationship, okay? We’re just hanging out and maybe in the future-</p>
<p>“Yes, I understand,” Tobin agrees immediately. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen says with a small smile. </p>
<p>Tobin leans over and kisses Christen softly. “Go and get your work done. I’ll call you tomorrow,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Alright, have a good day, Tobin,” Christen says with a smile, before climbing out of the car. </p>
<p>Tobin watches Christen until she is in the building, a wide grin on her face. It may not be what she really wants, but it’s definitely in the right direction and she couldn’t be any happier. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>The next day at work, Christen is walking around the office, feeling a little happier than she normally does. She’s pretty sure that everyone has noticed, but she’s trying to at least be a little subtle about it. But, she can’t help it really. She’s feeling good and it’s hard to hide it. </p>
<p>Honestly, the thought of getting close to anyone has been really scary, and it still is, but something about Tobin is making it way easier than she thought it would be. And no, she’s still not ready for a full blown relationship with her, but she’s definitely getting closer to it and for the first time in a very long time, she feels like she may get to a point to be open to it. </p>
<p>She sees Ali with her brows furrowed as she types away at her computer. Christen walks over to her with a smile, and places a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Hey, everything okay?” She asks curiously. She knows that Ali has been working on a harder piece the last few days. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Ali nods, looking up at Christen and giving her a small smile. “Just trying to work out this article, but I think it’s coming along well,” she assures her.</p>
<p>Christen leans down and skims across some of it, and sees that it seems to be coming together pretty well. “I’m excited to read this,” Christen praises. “I know it was hard to have to take your other article down,” she tells her with a small frown. “But this is going to be great and it’s going to help a lot of people,” she assures her. </p>
<p>Ali just smiles at her, “Thanks,” she says softly. She’s happy with how her new article has turned out. It touches on the severity of teenage homelessness amongst the lgbtqa+ community because of parents kicking out their children and not accepting them as they are. She talks about what they have to go through and some of the struggles that a lot of them encounter, but it doesn’t specifically name anyone. </p>
<p>It may not be as powerful as the story she’d been able to tell with an interview on an actual individual, but she still believes that it will help to get the message out there. “Will you have it finished by the end of the day?” Christen asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I should, yeah,” Ali nods. </p>
<p>“Great, I look forward to reading it,” she says, giving Ali’s shoulder a squeeze. </p>
<p>She starts to head back to her office, but stops short when she sees Tobin walking towards her. Her brows furrow, and her heart starts beating a little faster in her chest. She’s never really liked mixing her personal life with work and seeing Tobin here is a bit unsettling. </p>
<p>She at least wishes that she would have text her before showing up like this. </p>
<p>But then she realizes that she’s not even sure she’s ever told Tobin where she actually works. Though, she supposes that a lot of people automatically know who she is, even though she hates that. She’s not some big celebrity but she is kind of well known in certain worlds.</p>
<p>It’s a pretty successful magazine, after all. </p>
<p>“Tobin, what are you doing here?” She asks, pulling Tobin off to the side, away from prying eyes. </p>
<p>But, Tobin looks just as confused as Christen. “Wait, what are you doing here?” Tobin asks, her brows furrowed. </p>
<p>“Pressi!” Ashlyn shouts, coming up behind Tobin. “I see you’ve met Tobin. She’s my new assistant,” Ashlyn says with a grin, making Christen’s eyes widen in shock. “Tobin, this is Christen Press. She’s the boss around here,” Ashlyn introduces, this time making Tobin’s eyes widen. “Founder and CEO of the magazine, also editor in chief and all around badass,” she informs her with a proud smile.</p>
<p>Tobin is shocked for a brief moment and then just smiles, seemingly not as bothered by this new information as Christen is. “Oh wow. What a coincidence, I already-</p>
<p>“It’s nice to meet you Tobin,” Christen jumps in before Tobin can continue that sentence. She reaches her hand out to shake Tobin’s, giving her a look that let’s Tobin know to play along.</p>
<p>Tobin looks at her a bit confused, but thankfully catches on and shakes Christen’s hand, “Nice to meet you too,” she says politely, raising a brow at Christen. </p>
<p>“I really think Tobin is going to be a great addition around here,” Ashlyn says proudly. </p>
<p>Christen just nods and looks from Tobin to Ashlyn and then back to Tobin, “Right. Well again, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sure you’ll be great,” she says with a forced smile. “I need to get back to work,” she then says, before rushing back to her office and closing the door behind her. </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns and turns back to Ashlyn. “Don’t worry about her,” Ashlyn brushes off. “She looks intimidating, but she’s actually pretty chill,” she tries to explain. “She’s not very social though. She likes to be all business,” Ashlyn informs her. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and bites down on her lip and nods her head, figuring out pretty quickly that Christen doesn’t want Ashlyn to know that they know each other. So she knows better than to say anything before she goes to talk to Christen about all of this. </p>
<p>And she really wants to go into Christen’s office and try and talk to her now, but she’s not sure that is such a great idea. Christen had seemed anything but thrilled to see her there. And she also doesn’t want to get in trouble with Ashlyn or make anything weird by going in there. It is her first day after all and she’s sure that Ashlyn has a lot for her to do. </p>
<p>“Come on, we have lots of work to do today,” Ashlyn says, confirming Tobin’s thoughts, before heading off across the floor to her own office. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and quickly follows behind Ashlyn, resisting every urge to go and talk to Christen. </p>
<p>She doesn’t see her again for the next couple of hours. But, she does find a few moments to pull her phone out and text Christen, but so far she has gotten no response from her. </p>
<p>It’s a little worrisome and all she can focus on is getting off work so that she can go talk to her.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Once the day wraps up and Ashlyn tells her that she’s free to go, Tobin is absolutely exhausted. It’s been a good day besides worrying about Christen, and she’s pretty sure that she kept up okay and didn’t screw anything up. But it had been a lot more work than she was prepared for. Though, she found herself really liking the fast paced motion of everything. Normally, she’s pretty chill and relaxed and not one for rushing, but she’d kind of found it thrilling. </p>
<p>She heads out of Ashlyn’s office and glances over to Christen’s office, which still has the door closed. She also still hasn’t responded to any of her texts. </p>
<p>She wants to go and talk to her, but she’s also worried that maybe Christen is just really busy and she shouldn’t bother her. </p>
<p>She bites down on her lip and starts to head that way, still internally struggling with herself whether or not she should go in. Though, it seems that her body had made up it’s mind because the next thing she knows, she’s right outside the office, knocking on the door. </p>
<p>She glances around the floor and sees a couple of people still there, but nobody seems to be paying her any attention or looking at her like she’s doing anything wrong. </p>
<p>After a moment, she hears a strong, “Come in.” </p>
<p>She opens the door carefully, and smiles when Christen looks up at her. “Hi,” she greets her. </p>
<p>Christen sits up straight in her chair, not looking exactly pleased to see Tobin in her office. “Hey,” she greets, quietly. </p>
<p>Tobin walks further into the office, shutting the door behind her. “So, you own this magazine,” she says more of a statement than a question. </p>
<p>Christen just nods her head, “I do.” She says. “I guess we never talked much about work,” she says with a sigh. “And I guess, maybe we should have,” she adds, shaking her head.</p>
<p>“Yeah well you don’t really like talking much,” Tobin points out with a small frown. “Except when I talk dirty to you. You loved that,” she adds with a smirk.</p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen chastises, glancing back at her office door to make sure it’s closed. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Tobin says, but can’t help giggle at the blush on Christen’s face. “So we are working together. What a coincidence,” she says, shaking her head, amused at the situation.</p>
<p>“Seems so,” Christen says with a frown on her face, sitting back in her chair. </p>
<p>Tobin gets up out of her chair and moves around Christen’s desk. “You know, it’s always been a fantasy of mine to fuck someone on a desk like this,” she says with a smirk, grabbing Christen’s chair and spinning her around to face her. </p>
<p>Christen frowns up at her and pushes on Tobin’s chest when the woman leans down to kiss her. “Tobin, we can’t,” she tells her, shaking her head. </p>
<p>“Why not?” Tobin asks confused, her brows furrowing as she frowns down at Christen. “The door is closed and I’m sure that your employees know to knock,” she tells her. “Or is there a lock?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen sits up straight in her chair, rolling it back slightly to put some distance between her and Tobin. “No, it’s not that Tobin. It’s because I am your boss,” she says as though it were obvious. “We can’t do this if you are working for me,” she informs her, motioning between them.</p>
<p>Tobin looks at her, a frown forming on her face as she takes in Christen’s words, “Ashlyn and Ali are married and they work together,” she points out, thinking that it wouldn’t be a big deal.</p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, “Yeah, they’re married,” she stresses. “And Ali doesn’t work for Ashlyn. She’s not her boss,” she informs her. “Ashlyn isn’t just fooling around with one of her employees,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin moves back around the desk and plops down in the chair, the frown still on her face. “Well, I technically work for Ashlyn,” she tries to argue. </p>
<p>“You technically work for me,” Christen argues. “I own this magazine, everyone here works for me,” she informs her. “And it’s not a good look for me to be sleeping with one of the assistants,” she says sternly. </p>
<p>“So what? We’re just over? Like that?” She questions, upset by the new information. She’d finally just gotten what she wanted and had finally gotten one step closer to actually being with Christen and now it’s all being ripped away from her. “This can’t be it,” she says, feeling tears starting to prickle at her eyes.</p>
<p>Christen sighs again and pinches the bridge of her nose, “We weren’t really ever a thing,” Christen points out, though she knows that it’s sort of a lie. They may not have been technically together, but she knows they were more than just fuck buddies.</p>
<p>“Right,” Tobin says a bit angrily, trying not to feel hurt by the comment. She knows that this had just started as just sex, but she als knows they had become more than that. She was starting to have feelings for Christen and she knows that Christen feels the same way. “You know that’s a lie, Christen,” she can’t help but say.</p>
<p>Christen frowns, but can’t deny it either. “You’re right,” she admits. “But Tobin it’s over. It has to be,” Christen says, sounding defeated. “I can’t sleep with an employee Tobin. As long as you work here, we can’t do this,” she tells her with sympathetic eyes. </p>
<p>“Well, I really like this job. I don’t want to quit,” Tobin says with a frown. </p>
<p>Christen just looks at her with furrowed brows, “I would never ask you to quit, Tobin. That’s not what I was saying,” she argues, trying not to grow frustrated at the situation. </p>
<p>But she is. </p>
<p>She’d finally found someone she was starting to feel comfortable opening up to and now she can’t have it. </p>
<p>Maybe she really is better off alone. </p>
<p>“Tobin, I’m really sorry, but there’s nothing that I can do,” she says, with pleading eyes. She’s upset by this as well, and she doesn’t want Tobin being angry with her, but she knows what repercussions this could bring. It could ruin her entire reputation and her entire company if it were to get out. “There are rules here and I just...I can’t be involved with one of my employees,” she says again, trying to get Tobin to understand that it’s out of her hands. “I don’t like this either,” she says quietly, hoping that Tobin believes her. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods her head, not really knowing what to say. “Okay,” she says quietly, trying to regain her emotions in. “Yeah, I understand,” she says, though she’s not really sure she does. Well, she does understand it, she just doesn’t like it. </p>
<p>“And Tobin,” Christen says softly, “I hate to put more on you, but I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this,” she requests. </p>
<p>Tobin bites down on her lip and wipes underneath her eye, nodding her head, “Of course not, Christen,” Tobin assures her. “God this sucks,” she says, slumping back in her chair. She looks Christen in the eye for a few moments, and can tell that Christen seems upset about this as well. It makes her feel a little better, but at the same time it makes it harder. This just proves that Christen really did like her. “I-</p>
<p>“I know,” Christen nods. “Me too,” she says with a sad smile.</p>
<p>Tobin nods and stands up from her chair. She hesitates for a moment and then moves around Christen’s desk. “Can I kiss you one more time?” She asks with a small smile. </p>
<p>Christen just nods, not trusting her voice to say anything. </p>
<p>And Tobin leans in, giving Christen a firm, yet soft kiss. Christen just melts into it, almost wanting to throw everything out the window and tell her they can continue this. That they can do this and fuck what anyone says. </p>
<p>But she doesn’t. </p>
<p>She can’t risk everything that she has worked for. </p>
<p>“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Tobin says softly, pulling away from Christen. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen nods. “Bye Tobs,” she says with a sad smile, as she watches Tobin walk out of her office. </p>
<p>This is definitely the last time she lets herself develop feelings for anyone.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin let’s out a heavy sigh as she closes Christen’s office door behind her. She wipes at her face and realizes that there are a few tears there, which she quickly brushes away, hoping that nobody has seen it.</p>
<p>“Hey, Tobin, you’re still here,” Ashlyn says, walking up to her. “What are you doing?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin stands up straight and tries to compose herself, giving Ashlyn the best smile that she can muster up. “Oh, I...I just wanted to formally introduce myself to Christen and uh, let her know how excited I am to be working here and all of that,” she says, hoping that it’s a good enough excuse. “I hope that I didn’t cross any boundaries or anything,” she adds with a frown. </p>
<p>Ashlyn just smiles at her, “No, you’re fine,” she assures her. “That was very professional of you. I’m sure that Press appreciated it,” she says, clearly happy with Tobin’s reasoning. </p>
<p>“Yeah, okay. Good,” Tobin nods, letting out a small relieved sigh, happy that Ashlyn doesn’t seem too suspicious of her. “I’m going to go now. I’ll see you in the morning,” she adds, giving Ashlyn one last wave before walking towards the elevators. </p>
<p>Ashlyn walks up to Ali who had been watching the entire interaction with a curious look on her face. “What’s up babe? You have that look in your eye,” Ashlyn smirks. “You’re thinking hard about something,” she adds. </p>
<p>Ali just shrugs, “I don’t know, that whole thing was just kind of weird,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“You don’t like Tobin?” Ashlyn questions. </p>
<p>“No, she seems great,” Ali assures her. “Just like another you. That’s all we need around here,” she says, affectionately rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>Ashlyn just grins and leans down, kissing the top of Ali’s head. “Are you almost done here?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, just about,” she nods, turning back to her computer. </p>
<p>“Okay, I have a few things to finish up and we can head home,” Ashlyn says before walking back to her office. </p>
<p>Ali glances over towards Christen’s office with a curious look on her face, but decides it’s nothing and goes back to finishing up her article. </p>
<p>It's really none of her business anyway.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed it! </p>
<p>Please leave me a comment to let me know your thoughts on the chapter! Also feel free to leave your thoughts on what will happen next or if you have any questions about anything!! </p>
<p>Find me on tumblr to chat. I may give spoilers away if you ask nicely. tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello hello, back at it again! </p>
<p>I know that I need to update A Smart Romance and I will, I promise! I've started the new chapter, but I was more inspired to write this, so I figure that I should use the inspiration as it comes! </p>
<p>Also this is a bit of a filler and possibly a little boring, but I hope you still enjoy it! It's just needed to move forward! </p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobin walks into her apartment with a heavy sigh. She throws her keys and wallet down on the table before plopping herself down on the couch with a frown. She’d thought about Christen and their conversation pretty much her entire drive home. Honestly, she’d been so in her head that she barely even remembers the drive. </p>
<p>She’s honestly glad that she made it home safely, because of how distracted she’d been.</p>
<p>She had basically just been on autopilot. </p>
<p>She looks around the quiet room and realizes that the TV is turned off. She looks around her for the remote control and sees that it’s on the armchair across the room and way out of her reach. With a frown, she decides to just sit in silence because she really doesn’t feel like getting up to get it. </p>
<p>It’s not that she’s that exhausted from work, though it was a tiring and slightly stressful day. She’s still got a lot to learn about this job and it’s so fast paced that sometimes she has a hard time catching up. But honestly, it’s worth it and she knows that she will get the hang of it eventually. She just kind of feels like a fish out of water right now, or a baby deer learning how to walk. </p>
<p>But right now, she’s mostly just mopey and feeling sorry for herself after what happened with Christen and she doesn’t have the motivation to do much of anything.</p>
<p>Just a couple of minutes later, Allie waltzes out of her bedroom with a huge grin on her face, spotting her best friend on the couch. “Harry! How was your first day?” She asks, sitting practically on top of Tobin, shaking her. </p>
<p>“It was good,” Tobin tells her, trying to muster up a smile, not wanting her friend to realize that something is wrong.</p>
<p>But, Allie knows her too well and frowns at her, picking up her mood immediately. She gives her a curious look, “What happened? Did you not like it? Was someone mean to you?” She asks, already getting riled up at the thought of something happening to Tobin today or someone not being nice to her. She knows how it can be when you are the newbie at some jobs.</p>
<p>“No,” Tobin says, giving Allie another smile, grateful for her protectiveness. “Calm down,” she says with a small chuckle. “Work was great. I really like it and I actually think that I can be good at it and enjoy it,” she says honestly. “And the people so far are amazing,” she tells her. “Like super friendly,” she adds, still a little amazed at how nice everyone seems to be. She’s never really worked in an environment where everyone really seems to get along and actually enjoy being there.</p>
<p>“Then what’s wrong?” Allie asks confused. </p>
<p>Tobin lets out a heavy sigh, and shakes her head, looking down at her lap. She’s really not sure if she should tell Allie about Christen, but she also knows that she has to talk to someone about it. It’ll kill her to keep all of her feelings inside and not be able to talk about it all. </p>
<p>Plus, it’s not like Allie works at the magazine or even knows who Christen is. And Allie is her best friend, they tell each other everything. It’ll be okay to tell her, right?</p>
<p>“It’s Christen,” she finally says, with yet another sigh, deciding that she has to tell her. </p>
<p>“Christen?” Allie asks confused. “Oh wait? Your bar hottie?” She asks to clarify. “What about her?”</p>
<p>Tobin shakes her head again, her eyes still focused on her lap. “Turns out she works at the magazine as well,” she informs her vaguely with a tight smile.</p>
<p>“Really? What a small world,” Allie says with a small laugh. “Is that a problem? You don’t want to date someone that you work with?” She asks, still not really sure why Tobin seems to be so upset. </p>
<p>Tobin grimaces. “She doesn’t just work for the company. She owns it,” Tobini says, making Allie’s eyes widen. “She’s the founder, CEO and editor in chief,” she says with a sigh. </p>
<p>“Wow,” Allie smirks, “Impressive,” she adds. “She’s pretty young right?” </p>
<p>“She’s 31,” Tobin tells her. </p>
<p>“Seriously?” Allie asks with wide eyes. “Look at you. You found yourself a sugar mama,” Allie says with a chuckle, nudging Tobin, but she sees that Tobin is not amused so she turns back to being serious. “I wouldn’t have guessed she was that old. She looks good,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“31 is still young,” Tobin defends. “Especially to already be that successful.” She says. “She’s just so smart and professional and put together. She’s pretty intimidating,” she says with a small frown. “Which is why it wouldn’t have probably worked out anyway,” she shrugs, trying to convince herself that was true. No reason to mope about all of this if it wasn’t going to work anyway, right? </p>
<p>Christen is way too responsible and smart, and just completely out of Tobin’s league. She owns her own damn magazine for god sake. And a very successful one at that. </p>
<p>She’d never want to end up with someone so irresponsible and someone who feels like she has absolutely nothing together in her life.</p>
<p>“What do you mean, anyway?” Allie asks confused. “I thought you guys had decided to give it a try,” she says, knowing how happy Tobin had been after coming home from taking Christen back to her place yesterday. She had to hear about Christen and how happy she was, all day long. </p>
<p>Which didn’t bother her, because honestly she’s really happy for Tobin. She’s never seen her talk about someone and light up the way she does when she’s talking about Christen. </p>
<p>Tobin has always been a little sensitive and tends to catch feelings for girls a little too easy, but something about this was different and Allie knew it. </p>
<p>“Well, we had,” Tobin nods. “But, she says that there are strict rules at the company and she can’t be dating an assistant,” she informs her. “She told me that we have to end it as long as we are working together,” she says, trying to keep her tears at bay. She’d already cried enough on the way home from work today. </p>
<p>Which was ridiculous because she’s barely known Christen for a week. She doesn’t understand why she’s already so attached to her. </p>
<p>She’s also never met someone like Christen Press. </p>
<p>She’s amazing in every way and Tobin knows that she has it so bad already. </p>
<p>It’s barely been a day since she’s really been with Christen and she already misses her. </p>
<p>“That makes sense,” Allie says softly, breaking Tobin from her thoughts. “I’m really sorry though, Tobs,” she says, reaching out and rubbing her hand against Tobin’s shoulder, trying to show her some comfort. “I know how much you like her,” she tells her with a sad smile. “You aren’t thinking about quitting for her though, are you?” Allie asks carefully. </p>
<p>“No,” Tobin says immediately. “Of course not,” she tells her. “This is the first time, I’ve actually felt like I’m doing something with my life and doing something that could actually lead me to being really successful and doing something that I love,” she tells her. “I really want to be with Christen, but I’m not dumb enough to give up everything for her. I mean, I barely even know her,” she says with a sigh. </p>
<p>She won’t lie and say that the thought never did cross her mind though. </p>
<p>But thankfully, she’d been smart enough to realize that was a stupid choice.</p>
<p>She lets out another sigh and sniffles a bit, laying her head on Allie’s shoulder, trying to soak up some of her comfort. “I’m sad,” she says pitifully. </p>
<p>“I know,” Allie coos, wrapping her arm around Tobin. “But, it’ll be okay, Tobs,” she tells her softly. “You’re going to do amazing things Tobin Heath,” she tells her confidently. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs again, hoping that Allie is right. </p>
<p>“Does Alex know about this?” Allie asks curiously after a few moments of silence. </p>
<p>Tobin shakes her head as she picks it up off of Allie’s shoulder. “No, I haven’t talked to her about it,” she informs her. “I don’t think that I’m going to tell her,” she says with a small frown. </p>
<p>“Why not?” Allie asks confused. “We tell each other everything. Plus, I’m sure she’d want to know that you had a relationship with her boss,” she says knowingly. “Or I guess, you guys’ boss,” she adds.</p>
<p>Tobin shrugs her shoulders a bit uncomfortably. “Well we didn’t have a relationship. We hooked up a few times and had decided to maybe see where it goes, but that's’ hardly a relationship,'' she tells Allie. Honestly, she’s trying to play it down a lot more than she actually feels it was, but that’s for both her benefit and for Allie’s. </p>
<p>She just really doesn’t want this to be a big deal. </p>
<p>She wants to try and move past it. </p>
<p>“Plus, Christen really doesn’t want anyone at the company to know. She’s worried about it getting out,” she adds, hoping that Allie understands. </p>
<p>Allie nods her head, “I get that,” she agrees. “But, Alex is your best friend and she’d never tell anyone about this or get you or Christen in trouble,” she tells her. “She’d never want to hurt you like that.” She tells her, trying to convince her that she should know. “You don’t have to tell her, but I don’t think you should keep it from her,” she adds softly. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs, “Yeah, I don’t want to keep it from her, I’m just trying to respect Christen,” Tobin says honestly. “I don’t really know what to do,” she says, her brows furrowed. “I feel terrible keeping something like this from Alex and asking you to keep it from her, but I’m worried about Christen,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“Well, it may get out anyway, and Alex would probably be pretty upset that you didn’t tell her,” she warns her. </p>
<p>“It’s not going to get out unless you say something. You are the only one who knows, besides me and Christen and we definitely won’t say anything,” Tobin informs her. “But yeah, I guess you are right,” Tobin sighs. “I should probably tell her,” she decides. “I just really don’t want to get Christen into any trouble,” she adds. “This whole thing fucking sucks,” she groans, burying her face in her hands. “I finally found a girl that I really like and a job that I really like. I finally thought that my life was coming together and now this happens. I can only have one or the other,” she says, tears starting to prickle at her eyes again. “It’s like the universe just doesn’t want me happy,” she says feeling sorry for herself. </p>
<p>“I don’t think that’s true,” Allie frowns. “You’ve got a great opportunity with this job and you’re going to do great,” she tells her. “And there are plenty of women out there. You’ll find someone that is just as amazing or maybe even better than Christen,” Allie tells her, though Tobin isn’t too convinced that she’ll ever find someone quite like Christen. </p>
<p>“I don’t know if that’s true,” Tobin frowns. </p>
<p>“It feels like that right now,” Allie says knowingly. “But come on, you’ve had feelings for girls before and you’ve thought you couldn’t find anyone better or that you wouldn’t be happy again and here you are,” she tries to tell her. </p>
<p>But Tobin knows this is different from any of the other girls that she thought she liked. </p>
<p>Allie knows it too. But she’s trying to stay positive for Tobin.</p>
<p>“Yeah, you’re right,” Tobin tells her, not really wanting to argue or drag this conversation out. She doesn’t want to quit and she’s not planning on it so it doesn’t really matter anyway. No matter how much she wants Christen, it’s not going to happen for her. </p>
<p>Her only option is to move on from it. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen isn’t doing much better on the other side of town. She’d stayed at work later than she has in a long time, just trying to keep herself busy and keep herself from thinking about Tobin and their conversation from earlier. </p>
<p>She can’t believe her luck or lack thereof. </p>
<p>She hasn’t let herself develop feelings for anyone in years. She’s built her walls up so high that honestly she hasn’t even wanted to get close enough to people to even be friends, much less a relationship. </p>
<p>And then the one time she starts to let those walls come down and actually be open to the idea of having a relationship with someone, it all just gets ripped away from her. </p>
<p>She’s pretty sure that it’s a sign.</p>
<p>This is exactly why she’d been avoiding it and now she knows for sure. She doesn’t need a relationship. She doesn’t need anyone. It’s just a distraction and it hurts. </p>
<p>It hurts a lot. </p>
<p>When she finally drags herself out of her office, she almost goes to the bar to have a drink, because she could definitely use one. But she decides against it, because she doesn’t want to take the chance of running into Tobin, who she knows frequents the bar just as much as she does.</p>
<p>But then again, it’s almost just as appealing to go for that reason too. A part of her wants to run into Tobin and have another chance to see her again, but she also knows that she shouldn’t. She needs to put some distance between them and try to stop thinking about her. And seeing her out, will do the opposite of that. It’ll just make her want to tell Tobin to come home with her.</p>
<p>It’ll make it even harder to resist her. </p>
<p>She’s already having a hard time not texting her right now, and she knows that seeing her will make her want to take back everything even quicker. To say fuck the rules and that they should just be together and take on whatever happens. </p>
<p>But she really can’t. No matter how much she wants to. This isn't just some stupid thing she’d decided because she doesn’t want to date an employee. She knows how bad the repercussions of this could be. As a woman in a male dominated field, she’s already had enough struggles and even now, having one of the most successful magazines in the country, she still doesn’t always get taken seriously. </p>
<p>If it were to get out that she was having a relationship with one of her assistants, she’d never live it down. It could ruin not only her reputation, but all of her hard work. And this magazine means so much to so many people. It touches on the hard subjects that a lot of other magazines don’t want to talk about. And it reaches all kinds of people, not just the ones that most magazines think should be in a magazine. It includes every color, size and sexuality that there is. </p>
<p>It doesn’t exclude anyone. </p>
<p>And if this magazine gets taken away, all of those people who read it and look to the magazine for advice or representation or just a chance to be heard and seen, it’ll all be taken away from them as well. </p>
<p>She can’t be so selfish to risk taking that away from so many people just because she has feelings for a girl. </p>
<p>When she gets into her apartment, she sets her bag and keys down, before looking around with a sigh. She’s never minded coming home to a quiet empty condo before. Honestly, she’s always enjoyed the quiet and she’s definitely enjoyed the privacy of living alone. </p>
<p>But for some reason she can’t get the nagging feeling out of her mind that something is missing. </p>
<p>That someone is missing. </p>
<p>It just feels so much emptier tonight for some reason. And she knows it’s crazy because she hasn’t known Tobin for very long, but they’d spent a lot of time together in the few days that they’ve known each other. And she’s found herself getting attached to her way quicker than she would have liked. </p>
<p>And she found herself enjoying Tobin’s presence way more than she’ll ever admit. </p>
<p>She didn’t even have time to acknowledge that she was developing feelings for Tobin much less stop them. </p>
<p>Tobin Heath was a hurricane that swept into her life and turned her world upside down in only a few days. </p>
<p>And now she feels like she’s going crazy. </p>
<p>With a heavy sigh, she sits down on her couch and pulls her phone out. She sees a few new emails from work that she should probably check, but for the first time in awhile, she’s really not in the mood to respond to emails or take the time to read them. She needs just a few moments to mope and then she’ll be all business again. </p>
<p>Curling into the side of the sofa, she pulls up her Dad’s contact info and decides to FaceTime him. It’s been forever since she’s talked to him and she feels terrible about it. But honestly right now, she needs some comfort and she knows that her dad can give it to her. </p>
<p>“Hey daddy,” she says softly, when she sees his face on the screen. </p>
<p>“Hey sunshine,” he greets with a smile, making Christen smile even wider at the nickname. He used to always tell her that she was constantly smiling no matter what she was doing and how happy it made him. It was like she was her own sun, bringing light to everyone around her. </p>
<p>And he still calls her that, even though she smiles a lot less often now. </p>
<p>“How are you? It’s late,” he comments. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m sorry,” she says softly. “Were you in bed?” She questions, not even realizing that he could have been getting ready to go to sleep. </p>
<p>“No, no. You know me, night owl,” he chuckles. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and shakes her head, “I know,” she nods. “You and Tyler both stay up way too late and sleep in too late for me,” she says with a fond smile. </p>
<p>Cody just chuckles back at her, “Yeah you and your mom were always the early birds,” he says. </p>
<p>Christen feels her jaw tighten at the mention of her mother. </p>
<p>“Are you alright? You seemed a little upset when I answered,” he says, breezing past talking about Stacey. </p>
<p>Christen sighs and tries not to let her anger get the best of her. Talking about her mother is always a sore spot for her, but she knows that it’s not her dad’s fault and he’s the last person that she needs to be angry with. She just still has so much anger inside of her about her mother’s death that she needs to deal with. </p>
<p>She just doesn’t know how. </p>
<p>“I’m okay,” she lies, also trying not to think about Tobin or the reason she’d called her dad in the first place. </p>
<p>“Mo,” he says in a knowing tone, making her feel like a child getting scolded. </p>
<p>She just sighs again and runs her fingers through her hair. “I just had a long day,” she tells him. “I wanted to talk to you,” she says with a warm smile. “You always make me feel better,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Cody smiles warmly at her, “Well, I’m happy that you called,” he tells her. “Let me tell you what your dogs did today,” he says, before launching into a funny story about Morena tripping him during a trail walk today. </p>
<p>Christen snuggles into the couch and just listens to him exaggerate the story, knowing that he’s just trying to keep her mind off of whatever it is she’s upset about. </p>
<p>And it’s exactly what she needed. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>The next morning, when Tobin walks into the lobby of the magazine, she spots Mal already standing in line at the little coffee shop. She walks up behind her to get in line as well and gives the girl a smile when she turns around to look at her. </p>
<p>“Morning, Tobin!” Mal says with a wide grin and an exaggerated wave.</p>
<p>“Morning,” Tobin replies, trying to sound just as happy, but she’s never really been good at faking her feelings. She’s trying really hard to not let what happened between her and Christen affect her mood, but she’s also finding that a lot harder than she thought it would be. </p>
<p>All she can think about is Christen. </p>
<p>And how she’ll never get to kiss her again. </p>
<p>And also how she’ll have to work with her and probably see her every single day knowing that she can’t have her. </p>
<p>That’s probably the worst part. </p>
<p>She honestly can’t wait to see Christen’s face again, but she also knows that it’s just going to be torture. </p>
<p>She watches as Mal turns to order Christen’s coffee for her just the way that Tobin knows she likes it. Though she adds a pump of mocha to it which confuses her, because she didn’t think that Christen really liked her coffee sweet. “She puts mocha in her coffee?” Tobin asks, before she can stop herself. </p>
<p>Mal gives her an odd look, which makes Tobin backtrack a bit. </p>
<p>“Oh, she just didn’t seem like the type of person who would like sweet coffee,” she shrugs, hoping it doesn’t seem too weird. </p>
<p>Mal just smiles at her, putting Tobin to ease. “She totally seems like she’d be hardcore and drink black right?” Mal asks with a smirk. “Normally she doesn’t add the mocha but today she seems a little down and some chocolate always cheers her up a bit,” Mal winks at her. “She’ll say that she doesn’t like it, but she totally does,” Mal adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just furrows her brows, “She’s upset? Did she say anything to you?” Tobin asks curiously, though trying not to sound too nosy. </p>
<p>“Oh she would never tell me her personal business,” Mal shakes her head. “But, I’ve worked with her long enough to be able to pick up on her moods, and today she seems a little upset,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Tobin nods simply. </p>
<p>A part of her thinks that maybe she’s upset about the two of them as well, but the other part of her tells her that’s crazy. She’s pretty sure that Christen would be over it by now. It’s not like they really had anything serious going on anyway, and she had been kind of reluctant to start something in the first place. </p>
<p>Tobin also isn’t so self absorbed to assume that Christen’s mood has anything to do with her. </p>
<p>“I’ll see you later Tobin, I need to get this up to her before she bites someone’s head off,” Mal says with a small chuckle. </p>
<p>“Bye Mal,” Tobin says, distractedly, still thinking about Christen. </p>
<p>But what else is new lately. </p>
<p>“Next?” The woman behind the counter yells, raising a brow at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin shakes her head and sheepishly smiles at the woman as she moves up to the counter, “Sorry,” she mumbles, before ordering some coffee for Ashlyn, Ali and herself. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>When Tobin gets upstairs to her floor, as soon as she’s off the elevator she sees Ashlyn standing there with a binder in her hand. She barely opens her mouth to greet her before Ashlyn is shoving the binder into her hands. “I need you to take these down to print and then I need you to come back up here and find me because I have some errands I need you to run,” she says, getting straight to business. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she just takes the binder, while trying not to drop the coffee, “Okay,” she nods quickly. “Here’s your coffee,” she then tells her. “Do you want me to take Ali’s to her?”</p>
<p>“No, I got it, thank you Tobin,” she says, giving Tobin a smile. “Now go! I was supposed to have these down there 15 minutes ago,” she says, shooing Tobin away. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and quickly scurries back into the elevator. She then realizes that she’d given Ashlyn her coffee as well while being in such a hurry, and reaches out to stop the elevator. But then she sees Christen waltzing up to Ashlyn with a scowl on her face. Tobin’s eyes widen and she quickly cowers back into the elevator. </p>
<p>She’ll just grab another coffee. </p>
<p>She definitely doesn’t want to encounter Christen yet. Especially when she had that look on her face. </p>
<p>And it’s not that she’s avoiding Christen, but she also kind of is. </p>
<p>She’s just really not sure how she’s supposed to act around her after everything. She’s never been good at hiding her feelings and she’s worried that she’s going to be too obvious or just weird and awkward. </p>
<p>She knows that she’s probably being overly paranoid and that nobody in the office would suspect anything, but she just gets the nervous feeling that everyone will know just by seeing her talking to Christen. </p>
<p>Plus, Christen really didn’t look like she was in a good mood and Tobin knows better than to bother her or possibly make it worse. </p>
<p>She’s sure that the last thing Christen needs is Tobin bothering her. </p>
<p>Though she really does want to talk to her and see if she’s okay or if there is anything she can do to help. But she also knows that wouldn’t be very professional. She just really doesn’t like the thought of Christen being upset and she wants to do everything she can to try and make her day a little bit better. But again, that’s not professional. </p>
<p>And that’s how they have to be now. </p>
<p>Professional. </p>
<p>She’d never go up to the owner of any other magazine she worked for to check on the owner while she’s just a new assistant to someone else at the company. It’s not even like she’s Christen’s assistant. She really doesn’t have much of a reason to be talking to Christen, unless Ashlyn needs her to. </p>
<p>That’d be weird and definitely not professional. </p>
<p>So instead she rides the elevator back down to the third floor to drop off the photos that Ashlyn needed her to drop off. </p>
<p>If anything, she at least needs to focus long enough to do her job well. </p>
<p>When she gets there, she sees a blonde woman frowning at her, tapping her foot impatiently. “Here these are from Ashlyn Harris,” she says with a smile, handing the binder over to the intimidating looking woman. </p>
<p>“Finally,” she says with a sigh, grabbing the binder from Tobin. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, it was my fault,” Tobin lies, hoping the woman will ease up a little and not give Ashlyn any trouble. She’s also hoping that maybe it’ll give her some brownie points with Ashlyn. She’ll take anything she can get.</p>
<p>“You don’t have to make excuses for her,” the woman says, finally with a small smile. “And it’s okay, I’m used to her being late,” she says with a small smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and gives the woman a tight lipped smile, “Well, I’m Tobin, her new assistant and I’ll try to get everything down to you on time from now on,” Tobin promises. “Just let me know whatever you need from her and I’ll make sure it gets done,” she says with a confident smile. </p>
<p>“I’m Julie,” she says back. “It’s nice to meet you Tobin, I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of you around here,” she says, reaching out to shake Tobin’s hand. “But, don’t make any promises that you can’t keep. Ashlyn has a time schedule of her own,” she says, rolling her eyes, though Tobin can see an affectionate smile on her face. </p>
<p>“Yes ma’am,” Tobin nods. </p>
<p>“Don’t call me ma’am,” Julie frowns, giving Tobin a look. </p>
<p>“Right, sorry, Julie,” she apologizes, trying to remember that from now on. “Well, I need to get going. Ashlyn had a few things for me to do today,” she informs her, before spinning on her heel and heading back to the elevator to go and meet Ashlyn. </p>
<p>When she gets upstairs, Ashlyn has a list of places that she needs her to go to and a few things she needs to pick up for her shoot later on this afternoon. Tobin can barely keep up with everything spilling out of her mouth, but she does her best to try and remember the important parts. </p>
<p>Thankfully, she has most of it written down, and passes the cheat sheet over to Tobin with a knowing smile. </p>
<p>“I’ll get right on this,” Tobin tells her, before heading back to the elevators.</p>
<p>Before she leaves the building though, she decides to go and get herself a coffee, since she still hasn't had any caffeine this morning, and she’s clearly got a long day ahead of her. </p>
<p>So she goes to stand in the coffee line once again, and thankfully it’s not very long. When she gets up to the counter the woman smiles at her, “Twice in about 15 minutes,” the girl says with a smirk. “Be careful or I may think you are here to see me,” she says with a charming smile. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen a bit and she feels a blush take over her cheeks, “Oh I-...I just needed to get one for myself. The others were for my boss...” she says, not wanting to go into the whole story of how she was just a nervous mess and new to all of this and gave her own coffee away. She also won’t mention that she was trying to avoid her even bigger boss for reasons she can’t discuss. </p>
<p>“Okay,” the woman nods, looking a bit defeated. </p>
<p>Tobin then realizes that the woman had been flirting with her and Tobin kind of just brushed her off and she feels a little bad about it. “I mean...you’re pretty and...Of course I like seeing you...” she starts to ramble but then realizes she’s digging herself into an even deeper hole. “Um, can I just get a cappuccino,” she says with an embarrassed laugh. </p>
<p>“Sure,” the woman smiles, giggling at Tobin’s cute rambling. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Tobin breathes out, her shoulders slumping slightly as she hands over the money. </p>
<p>She moves across the coffee bar to get out of the way as she waits on her coffee. She can’t help but watch the woman as she greets other customers. She’s definitely very pretty and she seems nice enough. </p>
<p>And clearly she was flirting. </p>
<p>But, honestly Tobin can’t find herself being that interested. She knows that she probably needs to move on from Christen and get her out of her head. But she also knows that it won’t be smart to try and go out on a date with another woman just to try and get over Christen. </p>
<p>It’s not really fair to anyone because she knows that her heart won’t really be in it. </p>
<p>When her coffee is done, she grabs it with another smile and then heads for the front doors, putting the first address on Ashlyn’s list into her GPS and trying to figure out where she is going. First up is the dry cleaners for some outfits for a shoot. </p>
<p>She can handle that. </p>
<p>She takes a sip of her coffee as she heads out to her car and then notices a bunch of black scribbles on her cup. She sees that the woman behind the counter had written down her name and phone number for her with a little heart. </p>
<p>Shirley. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns down at it for a moment, realizing what it means. She wants her to call her. And honestly, Tobin doesn’t really want to call her, but she also doesn’t want to be mean or hurt the girl’s feelings. </p>
<p>Maybe she should just call her and tell her that she’s not interested?</p>
<p>With a sigh, she realizes that she doesn’t have the time to dwell on it right now and needs to get going so she can have everything back for Ashlyn before lunch. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin is sitting at her little desk right outside of Ashlyn’s office, tapping her away on her keyboard, trying to respond to some emails for Ashlyn. It’s not any of the really important ones of course, Ashlyn does those herself. But she delegates some of the smaller things over to Tobin. </p>
<p>And she’s trying as hard as she can to sound professional, but she knows that it’s something she needs to work on. She’s never really had to send out so many emails to such important people before and it’s a little nerve wracking. </p>
<p>She also doesn’t exactly sound professional when she talks in real life and she’s never really had to worry about it. </p>
<p>So she’s having to think about what she’s saying and fake most of it. </p>
<p>She just hopes that it reads okay. </p>
<p>She’s not the most articulate person in the world, not like Christen is.</p>
<p>Speaking of Christen, Tobin can’t help but look up from her desk, peeking around her computer to catch a glimpse of Christen in her office. She’s typing away on her computer as well, but she makes it look so easy. She’s pretty sure that her fingers are moving at a speed that isn’t human, but it also just looks so natural. </p>
<p>Tobin also remembers just how good those quick moving fingers feel. </p>
<p>“Jesus, get a grip,” she mumbles to herself, looking back at her own computer screen and trying to focus. </p>
<p>“Hey Tobs,” she hears Alex's voice say just a few seconds later. She looks up from her computer and sees Alex walking towards her with a smile. “How’s your second day going?” She asks, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Tobin. </p>
<p>“It’s good. A little stressful, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of things,” she tells her with a confident nod. “What about you? How’s your day going?” She asks curiously, though she’s still focused on typing her email. </p>
<p>“Good, I just got back from doing an interview for my article,” she tells her. “It went really well,” she adds with a smile. </p>
<p>“That’s great,” Tobin nods, trying to sound more invested in the conversation than she actually is. And it’s not like she doesn’t care, but she’s really trying to focus on her own work and she has a hard time listening and typing at the same time. </p>
<p>Alex just nods as she reads the email over Tobin’s shoulder, and can’t help but laugh. </p>
<p>“What? Is it stupid?” Tobin asks worriedly. </p>
<p>“No,” Alex shakes her head. “It’s very professional and very unlike you,” she comments. “And yes, you need to be professional, but honestly Tobin a lot of these people are not as uptight as you’d think,” she informs her. “I’m not saying to start the email with ‘yo’,” she says, eyeing her friend, “But you don’t have to be so robotic,” she says. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods with furrowed brows. “I’ll tone it down a bit,” she says. “I just want to sound professional and do a good job,” she informs her with a small frown. </p>
<p>“You’re killing it Tobs, don’t worry,” she assures her. “How about we go and get some lunch and you take a little break?” She suggests. </p>
<p>“Oh, I have so much work to do,” Tobin says, shaking her head. “I don’t really think I can take a break right now,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“Come on,” Alex says with a pout. “You get a lunch break, Ashlyn isn’t going to fire you for taking a lunch break,” she assures her. “Do any of these need to be sent out in the next half an hour?” </p>
<p>“No,” Tobin says honestly. “She just said to have most of them done by the end of the day,” she reveals with a small sigh. “I just wanted to go ahead and get it done,” she tells her.  </p>
<p>“Okay, break time,” Alex decides, standing up from her chair, and tugging on Tobin. “We can just go to the cafe in the lobby so you aren’t far away and you are not gone too long,” she assures her, knowing that Tobin is still nervous and trying to learn the ropes. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin finally agrees. She glances over at Christen’s office once again and still sees her typing away on her computer. She’s got her nose crinkled up in concentration and Tobin can’t help but stare at her a little, thinking she’s the most adorable person that she has ever seen. </p>
<p>Honestly, it’s really distracting and she’s not sure how she’s ever going to get any work done around here.  </p>
<p>“You coming?” Alex asks, raising a brow at Tobin. She follows Tobin’s line of sight and sees that she’d been staring at Christen, which just makes her give Tobin a curious look. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin nods, shaking her head and looking over at Alex with a sheepish smile. She looks back at Christen one last time and then to Alex again, “I kind of need to talk to you about something also,” she says softly with a small sigh, knowing that she needs to tell Alex about Christen. </p>
<p>She’d thought a lot about it after her conversation with Allie last night and she knows that she should tell Alex. It’s not exactly her business but it kind of is, considering Christen is her boss and Tobin is her best friend. She thinks that she has a right to know about it. Even if Tobin is still struggling about the decision and what would be best.</p>
<p>“Oh yeah? Everything okay?” Alex asks curiously, as they gather up their things. </p>
<p>“Um...I don’t know. Not really,” Tobin says honestly. </p>
<p>Alex gives her a concerned look and Tobin shakes her head. </p>
<p>“I’ll tell you about it once we get downstairs,” she tells her softly, guiding Alex to the elevator. </p>
<p>They get down into the cafe and Alex patiently waits for them to get their food and sit down at the table in the back corner, before she looks at Tobin, worry filling her features. “What’s up, Tobs?” </p>
<p>Tobin swallows and looks down at her food, still not completely convinced that she needs to be telling Alex about her and Christen, but then she also feels bad keeping it from her. They’re best friends and they always tell each other everything and she thinks that Alex deserves to know that she has some sort of a relationship with their boss. </p>
<p>Or at least she did. </p>
<p>She also feels bad that Allie knows about it and Alex is just completely in the dark. And she doesn’t want Allie to feel like she’s having to keep secrets from Alex as well. This is her mess and Allie shouldn’t have to suffer. </p>
<p>She just really hopes that Alex won’t say anything to Christen or anyone else for that matter. </p>
<p>“Well, it’s about the woman I met at the bar and was seeing,” she starts, looking up at Alex. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Alex says slowly, not really sure where this is going. </p>
<p>“It’s Christen,” Tobin says, deciding to just get it out there and not beat around the bush.</p>
<p>“Christen?” Alex asks with furrowed brows. “Her name is Christen...” Alex says, still trying to put the pieces together. “What about her?” She asks, feeling completely confused and like she’s missing something. </p>
<p>“Christen Press,” Tobin says firmly, watching Alex closely for her reaction. </p>
<p>Alex’s brows stay furrowed as she processes the information and then her eyes widen, “Wait, Christen Press as in our boss Christen Press?” </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin says with a wince. </p>
<p>“What the fuck, Tobin?” Alex says loudly, making Tobin quickly sush her, looking around to see if anyone was staring at them. They had a few people looking their way, but nobody really seems too concerned about their conversation. “You’re fucking our boss?” She asks this time in a quiet voice. </p>
<p>And her voice is quiet, but she’s somehow definitely still yelling at Tobin, and Tobin feels it. “I’m not anymore,” she defends, folding her arms across her chest. She hadn’t really expected Alex to be mad at her for it. But honestly she wasn’t really sure what reaction she’d been expecting. “I had no idea she owned this magazine when I was hooking up with her,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“You’ve known her for a week, you can’t possibly tell me that work never came up,” she says with narrowed eyes. </p>
<p>“It really didn’t,” Tobin says honestly. “We honestly didn’t do much talking,” she says, making Alex roll her eyes. </p>
<p>“Mature,” she comments with snark. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes and slumps back in her chair, “Don’t worry, it’s not happening anymore,” she assures her with a frown. “As soon as she realized that I got a job here she ended it,” she tells her sadly. </p>
<p>Alex’s face softens a bit as she realizes how upset Tobin probably is over this. She knew how much Tobin had liked this mystery bar woman, she’s just having a hard time processing all of this and that it had been their boss. </p>
<p>It’s hard to wrap her head around. </p>
<p>“Sorry, Tobin,” she says with a small sigh. “This is just crazy.” </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin nods. “I liked her so much,” she says with a sigh. “And I really think that she was starting to like me as well. I thought that we really had something,” she frowns, her hands just picking at the sandwich on her plate, not really in the mood to eat.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Tobin,” Alex says, reaching out to grab Tobin’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “But you guys are doing the right thing,” she says honestly. “It’s not a good idea to date in the workplace, especially not when one of those people is at such a higher ranking,” she explains, hoping that Tobin understands the risks.</p>
<p>Tobin just nods her head, “Yeah, I know,” she says softly. “I get that,” she adds, feeling a little frustrated that Alex seems to care more about that then how upset she actually is over all of this. “Alex, please don’t tell anyone about this,” she says with pleading eyes. “We ended it and Christen really doesn’t want people to know about it,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Well, I’m sure she doesn’t,” Alex says immediately. “It would completely ruin her,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Exactly, so will you please just keep this to yourself? We ended it and there’s no need to cause a lot of drama over it. And I promised her that I wouldn’t say anything to anyone. I just really felt like you should know,” she explains, hoping that she’d made the right decision. She honestly didn’t realize Alex would be so upset by the information.</p>
<p>“I won’t tell anyone,” Alex assures her, giving Tobin’s hand another squeeze. “I wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you or jeopardize your job,” she says with a small smile. “Don’t worry,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Tobin smiles softly, believing her. “Okay, enough of all that,” she says, pulling her hand away from Alex. “Let’s talk about something else,” she asks, not wanting to think about Christen anymore. </p>
<p>She actually picks her sandwich up and takes a few bites, realizing how hungry she’d actually been. She’s just been so stressed out today that she hasn’t thought about eating. Or really been in the mood to do so. </p>
<p>Just a few minutes later, a few women walk over to the table and join them, with lunch of their own. Tobin recognizes Mal and Megan Rapinoe, who apparently just likes to be called Pinoe and is head of the social media department. She’d met her a few times in passing, but she’s never really had much of a conversation with her. </p>
<p>But her and Ashlyn seem to be pretty good friends, because she sees them talking and laughing together throughout most of the day. </p>
<p>So supposes she should try and get in good with her if she is so close to Ashlyn. She definitely doesn’t want to have one of Ashlyn’s good friends not like her. </p>
<p>Though, she finds it a little odd that Pinoe would want to be having lunch with them, considering she runs her own department and they’re just assistants. Except for Alex who is one of the best writers. </p>
<p>“Hey guys,” Tobin greets with a smile as they sit down. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Mal says, just as happy as ever. </p>
<p>“How’s the job going, newbie?” Pinoe asks, smiling over at Tobin, “Ashlyn giving you too hard of a time?” </p>
<p>Tobin instantly shakes her head, giving Pinoe a smile, “No she’s not. It’s great,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay, now I know you are lying,” Pinoe says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“No! I’m not,” Tobin says quickly, not wanting to speak ill of her boss. “Really, she’s amazing. I mean, I’ve worked with some real assholes so honestly, she’s great,” Tobin explains to them. “She actually doesn’t have me just doing meaningless little personal errands or talk to me like I’m stupid. And she lets me listen in on her meetings and things and actually explains stuff to me and teaches me. I love it,” Tobin tells them with a grin. </p>
<p>“That’s great,” Mal nods. “Christen is the same way. She calls me her prodigy,” Mal tells her with star struck eyes. “I’m going to be the next Christen Press,” she says proudly. </p>
<p>“I don’t think anyone can be like Christen,” Megan says with admiration. “She’s amazing. I love how she runs the magazine and just everything she does. I’m in awe of her all the time,” Pinoe praises. </p>
<p>“Yeah, Christen seems...great,” Tobin says with a small smile, trying to be a little subtle with how great she actually knows Christen is. She sees Alex give her a look across the table, but Tobin just looks away quickly, not wanting to raise any suspicion. </p>
<p>“She is. I mean, she’s all work all the time and a little uptight sometimes, but I can tell she’s actually a big softie,” Pinoe smirks. </p>
<p>“I’m sure there is more to her than work,” Tobin shrugs casually. “But, I guess it’s not a bad thing. I mean, she’s only 31 and extremely successful,” she says.</p>
<p>“Someone did their homework,” Mal says, impressed.  “It took me like a month to figure out how old she actually is,” she says with a smirk. “She wouldn’t tell me,” she adds with a chuckle.  </p>
<p>Tobin shifts a bit uncomfortably and doesn’t miss the glare that Alex sends her way. “I did some research,” she says with a small shrug. “I wanted to come into this magazine with some knowledge about the people who run it and what it’s about,” she says, which isn’t a full lie. She definitely did research on Ashlyn, she just didn’t think to research Christen. </p>
<p>Which obviously she should have. </p>
<p>Though it wouldn’t have changed much. </p>
<p>She still would have taken this opportunity. But she supposes maybe she would have ended things with Christen a bit quicker. </p>
<p>Before she had so many feelings. </p>
<p>“I like that,” Pinoe says with an approving nod. “Did you dig up any dirt on anyone?” She asks, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>Tobin blushes and shakes her head, “No, no, of course not,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Please, I doubt that little miss perfect even has a parking ticket,” Alex says, rolling her eyes a bit. </p>
<p>Pinoe just laughs, “I don’t know, I think Press is secretly a freak or gets into some trouble,” she smirks. “She’s probably wild outside of work and totally great in bed,” Pinoe suggests with a catlike grin. </p>
<p>Tobin coughs, swallowing her food wrong at Pinoe’s words. </p>
<p>If only they knew. </p>
<p>“You okay?” Mal asks with a concerned frown, reaching over to pat Tobin on the back. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” she says shakily, trying to push down the feeling to continue coughing as she washes her sandwich down with some water. </p>
<p>“Talking about Press being a freak got you huh?” Pinoe says knowingly, wiggling her brows at Tobin, again. “She’s hot right?” </p>
<p>Tobin chokes again and just puts her sandwich down, deciding she really shouldn’t be eating while she speaks to them. “Uh...” she says slowly, taking another sip of her water. She glances over to Alex who has a brow raised as she sips on her water, trying to by her some time. </p>
<p>“It’s okay, you can say it. We all know it’s true,” Mal says with a shrug. “If I were actually into women, I’d totally have a crush. I may still have a small crush,” she says with a small blush and a cute little giggle. </p>
<p>“If she weren’t all business and so serious all the time I may or may not would have tried at some point too,” Pinoe says with a playful smile. </p>
<p>“And you know if you didn’t have a girlfriend, that you are practically married to,” Alex reminds her with a small smirk. </p>
<p>Megan just laughs loudly, throwing her head back, “Don’t worry. I love Sue and I’d never cheat on her. Even with my hot boss,” she says with a wink. “Plus, Sue totally asked if Christen could be her hall pass,” she adds with an eye roll. </p>
<p>“Seriously?” Mal asks, cracking up in laughter. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Pinoe says matter of fact. “But, I told her sure, because I know Press would never actually go for it,” she adds with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“I wonder if she even likes women. Or if she likes men. She’s definitely straight right?” Mal asks with furrowed brows. </p>
<p>Tobin is really glad that she’s not eating again because she probably would have choked again. </p>
<p>“I don’t know. She gives me a gay vibe,” Pinoe says, raising a brow. </p>
<p>“I don’t know, it’s hard thinking about her even being with someone in that way,” Alex says honestly. “It’s weird to think that she even has a life outside of this place,” she adds, and doesn’t miss the subtle glare that Tobin sends her way. </p>
<p>“I don’t think she does,” Pinoe says honestly. “She’s always here.”</p>
<p>“Just because she doesn’t talk to her employees about having a personal life doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have one,” Tobin butts in, not being able to help herself. </p>
<p>Alex gives Tobin another look, and Tobin just sits back in her chair, quietly. She knows that she shouldn’t be enabling them or getting involved, but she also doesn’t really feel comfortable with them talking about Christen like this. They have no idea what she’s like and they’re just judging her. </p>
<p>“What do you think, Tobin? Think that she’s into the ladies?” Pinoe asks. </p>
<p>“I don’t know. It’s her business,” Tobin mumbles with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“What about you?” Mal asks curiously. </p>
<p>Alex laughs, “Tobin is all about the ladies,” she butts in before Tobin can answer. “And the ladies love her,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Ohh,” Megan says with a wide smile. “Thank God, I don’t need another straight girl around here,” she says, making both Mal and Alex glare at her, “No offense.”</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs at their interactions. “Don’t worry, I am far from straight,” she assures her. </p>
<p>“We should go out one night. Me and Ashlyn go to this great lesbian bar up the street all the time. We’re both taken though so we can just live vicariously through you,” she tells her with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just furrows her brows, “Can we do that? I mean, hang out and stuff? Even though Ashlyn is my boss?” She questions. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Pinoe shrugs. “I mean, I suppose it would be frowned upon for you to start sleeping with Ashlyn or something, but just being friends isn’t a big deal. We’re all a pretty close family around here,” she informs her. </p>
<p>She supposes that makes sense. </p>
<p>Though, she was maybe holding out for a little hope that she could actually be with Christen. </p>
<p>She knows that was reaching though. </p>
<p>“Okay, yeah that sounds fun,” Tobin replies with a small shrug. She’s not exactly interested in going to hook up with women but she’s not going to turn down making some new friends. Especially if it’ll help get her on Ashlyn’s good side. She figures the closer she is to her, the better it’ll be for her job. Plus, Ashlyn and Pinoe actually seem like people she’d want to hang out with and could be pretty good friends with if she’d met them outside of work. </p>
<p>“Awesome,” Pinoe says with a smile. “Okay well we better get back to work,” she says, picking up all of her trash. </p>
<p>Alex and Mal nod in agreement and start cleaning up their trash, Tobin following suit. She’s not really sure how long she’s allowed to be gone, but she also knows that Ashlyn will definitely call her if she needs her. But, she also wants to get back and finish those emails. </p>
<p>Plus, she doesn’t know if she can handle another conversation about Christen. She’s pretty sure she may actually choke and die. </p>
<p>“Hey nice outfit,” Pinoe comments as she follows Tobin over to the trash cans to throw their stuff away. </p>
<p>Tobin looks down at herself, “Thanks,” she shrugs, not thinking that it’s anything special. It is her favorite button up and the pants fit her pretty well. </p>
<p>“It looks familiar, you didn’t wear that yesterday did you?” Pinoe asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>“What? No,” Tobin says, confused. </p>
<p>And then it hits her. </p>
<p>It’s the same outfit that Christen had borrowed just a few days ago. </p>
<p>“Hmm,” Pinoe says simply, still eyeing the outfit. </p>
<p>Tobin just swallows nervously and walks over to the elevators hoping that she won’t bring it up again. </p>
<p>And she doesn’t. But Tobin also doesn’t miss the way Megan’s eyes look her up and down a few more times in the elevator and she can see the wheels turning in her head. </p>
<p>She really hopes that it doesn’t click for her. </p>
<p>Even if it does, it could just be a coincidence. It’s not like it’s anything special, just a button up and some slacks. Anyone could own it and wear it. Though, she’s pretty sure it’s not an outfit that they see Christen in normally. So she’s sure it would raise some red flags.</p>
<p>“I’ll talk to Ashlyn about us going out and she’ll give you the details,” Pinoe finally says as the elevator doors open. </p>
<p>“Sure, okay,” Tobin nods, still a little in her head at their whole interaction. </p>
<p>Without another word, Megan walks in the opposite direction that Tobin needs to go and Tobin lets out a relieved sigh, hoping that her outfit won’t come back up or that nobody else will notice it. </p>
<p>Honestly, she’s feeling a bit self conscious now and paranoid that everyone has noticed her outfit and that somehow everyone just knows. </p>
<p>It feels like the longest walk ever back to her desk so she can try and hide away from everyone’s eyes. She also feels like everyone’s eyes had been on her and they just knew that Christen had been wearing her same clothes. </p>
<p>Though, again, she knows that she’s just being paranoid. She’s pretty sure nobody really pays her that much attention. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen looks up when she hears footsteps approaching and expects it to be Mal, but is surprised to see Tobin standing in her doorway. “Tobin,” she says softly with a small smile. “What are you doing here?” She then asks with furrowed brows, looking behind Tobin to see if anyone was looking at them. </p>
<p>And she knows that she’s just paranoid. It shouldn’t be strange for one of her employee’s to be in her office speaking to her. Everyone comes in and out all day and nobody really thinks twice about it. She’s always had an open door policy and lets the team know that they’re more than welcome to come to her if they need anything. </p>
<p>The only time she closes her door is if she’s in a meeting or a conference call. Or if an employee has something personal they need to discuss with her. </p>
<p>“I can’t say hi?” Tobin asks with a frown, starting to rethink her decision to come in here. But she also really needed to see Christen. </p>
<p>She also wants to bring up the outfit situation and Pinoe. She’s pretty sure there is nothing to be worried about, but she also feels the need to warn Christen. </p>
<p>“You can,” Christen sighs, sitting back in her chair. “Hi,” she then adds with a soft smile. “Sorry, I’m just a little on edge today,” she admits. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and walks further into the office, sitting down in the chair across from Christen’s desk. “Mal said you weren’t having a good day,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>“She did, did she?” Christen asks with a small scowl. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she shakes her head, “No, not like that,” she says quickly. “She wasn’t like going around talking about you or telling people you were in a bad mood,” she tries to explain. “But she uh...she put mocha in your coffee this morning,” Tobin says, making Christen raise a brow at her. Tobin just laughs awkwardly, knowing that she’s not really making any sense right now. “I asked why she added that because I didn’t think that you liked sweet coffee and then she told me that you seemed down today and she says that chocolate cheers you up,” she explains. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help but smile at that. She hadn’t really thought about why Mal does that sometimes or realized that Mal picked up on her moods so easily and tried to subtly cheer her up. “Right,” Christen nods simply. “I’m just stressed,” she sighs. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I figured,” Tobin says knowingly. A part of her wants to ask if it has anything to do with her, but then she decides she probably shouldn’t. </p>
<p>Christen looks up at Tobin and bites down on her lip like she wants to say something, but she doesn’t. They just continue to look at each other for a few moments, both knowing there is a lot they want to say but also know that they can’t. “I hope everything is going well for you here so far,” Christen finally says softly. </p>
<p>“It is, I really like it here,” she says with a soft smile. </p>
<p>“Good,” Christen says, though she can’t deny that she’s maybe a little disappointed. It’s not like she wants Tobin to quit this job, but maybe a part of her was hoping that she wouldn’t like it and would decide she didn’t want to do it. </p>
<p>But she knows that is selfish. </p>
<p>“Look Christen, I need to tell you something,” Tobin starts, making Christen frown. “I um, I’m wearing the same shirt that I let you wear the other day-</p>
<p>“I noticed,” Christen butts in with a smile. “It definitely looks better on you,” she adds, biting down on her lip, as she looks over Tobin’s body. </p>
<p>Tobin feels herself blush, and almost forgets where she had been going with this conversation, but then she gets herself back on track. “Well Pinoe-</p>
<p>“Hey Pressi,” Pinoe interrupts, waltzing into the office, making both women’s eyes widen. “Oh hey Tobin,” she says, looking between the two a bit curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin swallows hard and gives Pinoe a small, awkward smile. She sees Christen sit up straight in her desk chair, clearly a little startled by Pinoe as well. They both look like they’d been doing something wrong, even though they really weren’t. </p>
<p>“Sorry, I didn’t know you were busy,” Pinoe then says, still looking from Tobin to Christen. </p>
<p>“Oh we’re done,” Tobin says, standing up quickly. “I’ll be sure and relay all of that to Ashlyn,” she says, trying to make it seem like she was there for a reason. Honestly, she’s never really been good at lying or having to think that quick on her feet for a lie. </p>
<p>“Yes, thank you,” Christen nods, giving Tobin an appreciative smile. </p>
<p>Tobin gives Pinoe a small and slightly awkward smile as she squeezes past her to get through the door. </p>
<p>Pinoe turns back to Christen with suspicious eyes. </p>
<p>“What’s up, P?” Christen asks, not giving her anytime to comment on anything. </p>
<p>But, Megan doesn’t let it deter her. “Are you going to tell me what is going on between you and Tobin?” She asks, raising a brow at her boss. </p>
<p>Christen’s eyes widen just briefly, before she’s clearing her throat and putting on a more stoic face, “What are you talking about?” She asks, trying to sound annoyed, like she has no idea what the woman means.  </p>
<p>“The clothes that I commented on you wearing a few days ago, it’s the same thing that Tobin is wearing today,” she says as if it were obvious. </p>
<p>Christen just furrows her brows. “It’s literally just a blue button up. Anyone could have that,” she argues. “You really shouldn’t be throwing around accusations like that around,” she says in a scolding tone, feeling defensive. </p>
<p>“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Pinoe apologizes, raising her hands up, though they both can tell that she’s not actually sorry and she doesn’t believe Christen for a second. “You know that it’s probably not a good idea to be messing around with an employee,” she reminds her. “I mean, that could look really bad for us.” </p>
<p>Christen lets out a frustrated sigh, and leans back in her chair, “I don’t know why you feel the need to tell me that,” she says stubbornly. “I don’t even know Tobin, and I’m definitely not sleeping with her,” she tells her, giving Pinoe a glare. </p>
<p>And it’s not a full lie, because they aren’t sleeping together. </p>
<p>Anymore. </p>
<p>“Okay, sorry, I know that you are smarter than that,” Megan says, giving Christen a knowing look. </p>
<p>“Did you actually need something or did you just come in here to accuse me of sleeping with an employee?” Christen snaps. </p>
<p>Megan looks a little put off by Christen’s anger, but she breezes past it. “I did,” she nods. She pulls her IPad out, and pulls a few things up before passing it over to Christen. “We have been getting a lot of response from that story we had to pull,” she informs her. “There’s been hundreds of people sending in their own awful coming out stories and the things that they’ve also had to go through,” she explains, as Christen starts scrolling through some of the emails. “I was thinking that we could have a section on the app where people can submit their coming out stories for others to read. It could help shed some light on how awful it can be for some people and it can also make some people feel like they’re not alone,” she says with a small smile. </p>
<p>Christen nods her head slowly, taking in a deep breath as she just skims over some of the awful things people are saying they’ve had to go through. “I think that’s a great idea,” Christen nods. “But you’re going to have to write up some terms for people to sign and get approval to post things. You also have to make sure they’re of age or they’re parents are okay with this being posted. Or maybe you can have an anonymous option as well,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Yeah, that’s smart,” Pinoe nods. “I’ll get right on that and we can make a post, letting people know that they can submit their stories,” she says, taking her ipad back. “I’ve emailed you a few of the stories, if you want to take a look at them and decide what to post,” she tells her. “I’ll make sure to have your final approval on everything,” she says. </p>
<p>“Okay, thank you.” She says softly. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. And this is a really good idea, P,” she says, giving her a smile. </p>
<p>“It’s fine. I know that I was out of line. You know me, I just like the gossip,” she says, with a dramatic hair flip, though she has short hair. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and shakes her head, “Please leave me out of your gossip,” she requests. </p>
<p>“You got it,” Megan says with a wink, before walking out of the office. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin gets home from work and once again, carelessly throws her things down on the table before going straight to her bedroom. She doesn’t really feel like talking to Allie tonight and all she really wants to do is take a shower and crawl into bed. </p>
<p>She loves her new job, but it’s also exhausting. </p>
<p>After she gets out of a particularly long shower, she checks her phone and sees a text message from Christen from about 5 minutes ago. </p>
<p>Her eyes widen and she has to double check to make sure she'd actually read the name correctly and hadn't just been imagining it. She feels her heartbeat pick up in her chest as she opens the message, really not sure what she's expecting it to say. </p>
<p>Christen - Can you come over? </p>
<p>Well it definitely wasn't that.</p>
<p>Tobin can’t believe it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright, as I said, this was kind of a filler and just them being mopey and I also had to keep their interactions to a minimum for a bit! Hopefully you guys still enjoy it! We have a lot more great things coming up so just hang in there with me! </p>
<p>As always, please let me know if you guys liked this and also feel free to let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in the upcoming chapters! It can be big or even just a small little detail or interaction! I love the small details and cute moments! </p>
<p>find me on tumblr to chat! dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alright, you guys voted for another chapter and I delivered! I'm honestly surprised at myself! This is all for you guys! </p>
<p>Enjoy...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christen actually manages to get home from work at a decent hour today. But, it’s only because she wants to take the time to read some of the articles that Pinoe had emailed to her with all of the different coming out stories and the different experiences that people have had with it. </p>
<p>And she knows that she’d prefer to read them in the privacy of her own home rather than in her office. Because she knows they’re probably going to make her a little emotional. She’d skimmed through a few of them already and some of them had been pretty horrible. </p>
<p>And they definitely do end up making her emotional. </p>
<p>She’s been reading story after story, for over an hour now and she has tears streaming down her face. Some of the stories aren’t as bad as others and there are even a few good ones in there. Some of them had managed to make her smile a little bit and not just completely hate the world for a few moments. </p>
<p>But a lot of them talk about kids being kicked out of their homes or abuse they’ve encountered with coming out. A lot of these people have gone through horrific things that some people couldn’t even imagine and Christen is having a hard time getting through a lot of them. </p>
<p>She pulls herself away from her IPad finally, deciding that she really needs to take a break and stop torturing herself. It’s bringing back all kinds of emotions with her own coming out experience and it’s starting to put her in a dark place again. </p>
<p>With a sigh, she walks into her kitchen and pours herself a glass of scotch, wanting to take a bit of the edge off. </p>
<p>As she takes the first sip, she closes her eyes and sighs, feeling the warm scotch in her chest. </p>
<p>It’s definitely what she needed. </p>
<p>She looks around her empty and quiet condo, and the feeling of loneliness and emptiness starts to overwhelm her again. It’s odd because most of the time when she starts to go back to this dark place, she prefers to just be alone and to sit in silence with her thoughts. She doesn’t like asking for help and she definitely doesn’t like anyone having to see her in this state.</p>
<p>But right now, it’s overwhelming her and all she can think of is Tobin. </p>
<p>All she wants is to see that big smile and to feel her strong arms around her.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” she grumbles, running her hands through her wild curly hair. She takes her glass and also the bottle over to the couch, and plops down with a heavy sigh, her chest starting to feel a little tight.</p>
<p>She knows that reading these stories is probably not great for her mental health, but she also knows that it’s something she needs to do. This really was a great idea that Pinoe had. It’s difficult to read, but she also knows how much this could help some people. </p>
<p>Honestly, if she’d had this community while she was going through a hard time, and just knew that there were other people out there struggling, it would have made her feel a little better. </p>
<p>And possibly given her a little bit of hope. </p>
<p>She’s really hoping that maybe it’ll make some people rethink their actions. Maybe some parents will read these and realize how awful it is to do this to your child and what danger they could be putting them in by kicking them out at such a young age. She’s also hoping it’ll just make some people be a little more open minded and more kind to others. </p>
<p>You never know what someone has been through in their life. </p>
<p>These are awful things that are happening and no matter how much you disagree with something, you should never wish this kind of harm on anyone. </p>
<p>She’s also hoping that it’ll help some of those kids going through the same things feel like they’re a little less alone in the world. They’re also going to put all of the contact info out there for hotlines and shelters and any other organization that helps with lgbtqa+ people who are facing these traumas and hard situations. </p>
<p>She’s hoping that it could possibly save someone’s life. </p>
<p>But it still doesn’t mean that it’s not difficult reading through these. </p>
<p>And it brings back a lot of terrible memories for her. </p>
<p>With another heavy sigh, she downs the rest of her scotch before pouring herself another glass. She wipes the tears away from her face and pulls her phone out. She pulls up her and Tobin’s messages and lets her fingers hover above the keyboard. </p>
<p>She knows that she really shouldn’t text Tobin. </p>
<p>But she also really wants to. </p>
<p>“Fuck it,” she sighs.</p>
<p>Christen: Can you come over? </p>
<p>As soon as she sends the message she wants to take it back. “Stupid,” she mumbles to herself, falling back against the couch, and slumping down. She rubs her hands over her face with a groan and starts to feel anxiety taking over her body. “Why the fuck would you do that?” She questions herself with a frown. </p>
<p>She looks at her phone again and opens the messages back up wanting to send another telling Tobin it was for the wrong person. However, she sees the little gray bubbles pop up, meaning that Tobin is typing so she stops herself, just to see what Tobin is going to say. </p>
<p>She feels her anxiety spike even more as she waits not so patiently for Tobin’s response. </p>
<p>Those dots are going to be the death of her. </p>
<p>Tobin: Are you sure? </p>
<p>Christen pinches the bridge of her nose, letting out a deep breath. </p>
<p>Of course she’s not sure. </p>
<p>She really doesn’t need to be asking Tobin to come over. They don’t need to be hanging out at all, much less having her in her home. It’s completely unprofessional and breaking all kinds of rules. </p>
<p>Christen: No. Nevermind. </p>
<p>With another groan, Christen tosses her phone on the other side of the couch, not wanting to text with Tobin anymore of even think about her. She knows that she’s going to be too tempted to just tell her to come over. She’s also a little embarrassed because she’d been the one to end things with Tobin and now here she is texting her. </p>
<p>It’s confusing and selfish. And it shows that she is obviously losing her self control. And that’s something she’s never had a problem with.</p>
<p>Control is all she really has. However that seems to go out the window when Tobin is involved. She can’t remember the last time she’s ever allowed anyone to take any sor of control in her life, especially not sexually. </p>
<p>But she’s definitely found herself more than enjoying it when she lets Tobin be in control. And it’s not even as scary as she thought that it would be for her.</p>
<p>She throws back the rest of her scotch before picking up her IPad again, deciding that she should try and get through some more of these emails. </p>
<p>No matter how difficult it is. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Tobin frowns down at the message, a little disappointed that Christen had changed her mind. Though she’s not very surprised. She’s more surprised at the fact that Christen had even text her in the first place. </p>
<p>Tobin: Okay. Are you alright?</p>
<p>She chews on her lip as she stares down at their messages. She waits a couple of minutes and never sees the little bubbles pop up or even the little read receipt appearing. </p>
<p>Tobin: I can come over if you need me?</p>
<p>She knows that she may just be annoying at this point, but she’s got a weird feeling and she’s a little worried. Christen had been pretty clear about them not being able to be together and it’s not really like Christen to so easily break those rules and so quickly. </p>
<p>But it also got Tobin’s hopes up just a little and she’s kind of hoping that maybe Christen will tell her to come over anyway. </p>
<p>However, almost half an hour goes by and she hears nothing else from Christen. She had planned on coming home and passing out because of how drained she’d been, but suddenly she’s more awake than ever and she knows that she’s never going to be able to sleep until she hears from Christen again. </p>
<p>She keeps looking at her phone every couple of minutes, sighing to herself when she continues to see no response. She lets out a loud frustrated groan as she tosses and turns in her bed, her mind running in a million miles a minute now, keeping her awake. </p>
<p>Why had Christen text her?</p>
<p>And why is she not responding now?  </p>
<p>What if something is wrong? </p>
<p>Finally after another 15 minutes pass by, she throws the blankets off of herself and climbs back out of bed. She puts some sweats on and a hoodie grabbing a random snapback that she’d tossed carelessly onto her desk. </p>
<p>As she’s putting her shoes on, she glances down at her phone once again, hoping that maybe Christen had responded to her. </p>
<p>But she still hasn’t. </p>
<p>Without rethinking anything, she walks out of her bedroom and out of the apartment heading for her car. </p>
<p>She knows that this is probably a stupid idea, but really needs to know that Christen is okay. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Christen sniffles as she curls up into herself on the couch, holding a blanket close to her body. She takes another sip of her 4th glass of scotch in the past hour. It’s definitely helping to numb a little bit of her pain, but it’s still not quite doing the trick. </p>
<p>She still feels an overwhelming amount of sadness and emptiness. </p>
<p>She glances over at her IPad that she’d laid down on her coffee table, deciding that she’d had enough of reading those emails for tonight. She’ll have to regroup and continue them tomorrow. Though a part of her wants to keep reading them. However, she knows that she’s just torturing herself at this point and she needs to take a break.</p>
<p>Reading them is something that she’s finding very difficult to do, but she knows that she needs to do it. </p>
<p>She needs to put her feelings aside and be stronger. </p>
<p>But that’s just it. </p>
<p>She’s not strong. </p>
<p>It’s why she hides away and keeps everyone at arms length. Because she knows that she’s not strong enough to deal with the hurt that can come out of getting close to people. </p>
<p>A moment later, she gets pulled out of her thoughts, when she hears a knock on the door. Her brows furrow, and she glances over at the door as if she’ll be able to see who is on the other side. </p>
<p>She honestly has no idea who it is, because she hadn’t been expecting anyone and honestly, not very many people even know where she lives. </p>
<p>Except Tobin. </p>
<p>She climbs off the couch, struggling a bit with the blanket, which just makes her curse and she throws it on the couch as she gets herself untangled from it. She feels herself swaying a bit as she walks over to her door, and realizes that the alcohol may be hitting her a little more than she’d thought. </p>
<p>She opens the door and sees Tobin standing there, making her brows furrow in confusion. “What are you doing here?” She asks, and then cringes because even she can hear how slurred her words are. </p>
<p>Tobin chews on her lip, looking at Christen a bit nervously. “I was worried about you,” she says softly, shifting a bit uncomfortably. Maybe this had been a bad idea. “You weren’t responding to my texts and I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay,” she further explains. </p>
<p>Christen just blinks at her a few times, trying to let her foggy mind up catch up to everything. “Oh,” she says simply. </p>
<p>“Are you drunk?” Tobin asks, a little concerned and slightly amused. </p>
<p>Christen just scrunches her face up cutely and shakes her head, “I-...a little,” she admits, but Tobin can tell she’s more than a little. </p>
<p>“Can I come in?” Tobin then asks, a bit hopefully. </p>
<p>“Uh...I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Christen says, shaking her head. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods with a frown, “I understand,” she says softly, giving Christen a little sad smile. </p>
<p>Christen watches her turn to leave and takes a step forward, reaching out for Tobin, “Wait! Don’t leave,” she says, sounding a bit panicked. </p>
<p>Tobin immediately turns around, just in time to see Christen stumble forward a bit, trying to reach out to her, but misjudging the distance. She reacts quickly and reaches out, catching Christen before she can fall. “I’ve got you,” Tobin says softly, wrapping her arms securely around Christen. </p>
<p>Christen just lets out a breath as she buries her face into Tobin’s neck, wrapping her arms securely around her. </p>
<p>This is the comfort that she’d needed. </p>
<p>And Tobin seems to sense that, so she just holds Christen tighter, letting them stand there in silence for a few moments. </p>
<p>But then she realizes that they’re still standing in the doorway of her condo and she should probably take Christen inside for a little more privacy. “Come on,” she says softly, pulling away, but she feels Christen hold onto her tighter. “Let’s just get inside, yeah?” She asks softly, trying to guide the girl back in. </p>
<p>Christen nods her head and follows Tobin into the condo, letting her hand find Tobin’s and tangling their fingers together, still needing to be touching the girl. </p>
<p>Tobin guides her across the condo and into the living room, setting her gently back on the couch where she sees a crumbled up blanket. She slides it over and sits next to Christen, turning her body so that she’s facing the girl. </p>
<p>She gets a good look at her, and can see the tear tracks on her face and realizes how red her eyes are. She’s pretty sure that it’s partially from the alcohol but also because she’s obviously been crying. “What’s wrong Chris?” She asks softly. Her one hand is still tangled with Christen’s on her lap so she uses her free hand to reach out, brushing some of Christen’s hair behind her ear. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns and looks away from Tobin. “Nothing,” she lies. </p>
<p>Tobin nods slowly, because she knows that’s obviously a lie, but she’s also not going to push Christen. </p>
<p>“Okay,” she says simply, giving the girl’s hand a gentle squeeze. </p>
<p>Christen rubs her hand over her face and through her hair before letting go of Tobin’s with the other. She starts to reach for her glass of scotch on the coffee table, but Tobin stops her. </p>
<p>“Hey, wait,” Tobin frowns, taking the glass out of Christen’s hand and putting it back on the table. She sees the glare that Christen is giving her, but she doesn’t let it deter her. She just grabs Christen’s hand again and laces their fingers back together. “I think you’ve had enough of that,” she tells her honestly. </p>
<p>“I can take care of myself,” Christen snaps, suddenly growing a bit angry. She knows that Tobin is just trying to help and she knows that she’s definitely had enough tonight, but she also doesn’t appreciate Tobin telling her what to do or trying to stop her. She’s upset and feeling a lot of things right now and she just wants to make it all go away. </p>
<p>She doesn’t want to face it or feel it. </p>
<p>And she also hates the soft and almost pitying look that Tobin is giving her. </p>
<p>She doesn’t need pity. </p>
<p>“I know you can,” Tobin defends. “I’m just here to help,” she tells her gently. </p>
<p>“I didn’t ask you to come,” Christen snaps again, and then winces. </p>
<p>She’s really not meaning to be so mean to Tobin, but she can’t help it. It’s just her defensive mechanism and she doesn’t know how to control it. This is what she does. She gets angry and she pushes people away. </p>
<p>She doesn’t know how to accept help. </p>
<p>“You kind of did,” Tobin then shrugs. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns at her and rolls her eyes. “I told you nevermind,” she points out. “That doesn’t mean show up anyway,” she says matter of fact. </p>
<p>“You’re right,” Tobin nods. “And I’m sorry for just showing up like this, but I was worried. You weren’t responding and I just needed to make sure that you were okay,” she tells her honestly. </p>
<p>“Well, I’m fine,” Christen frowns, pulling her hand away from Tobin, but not trying to reach for her scotch again. She just brings her legs up to her chest and curls up against the arm of the couch, wrapping her arms around her body tightly. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods again, obviously not believing her but also not wanting to push her. She can see that she’s already a little angry and Tobin doesn’t want to set her off and further upset her. “Well, then I guess I’ll leave you alone,” she says with a small sigh. </p>
<p>She stands up off the couch and gives Christen one last soft smile, before starting to walk away. But as soon as she passes Christen, the girl is reaching out again, grabbing her hand. </p>
<p>Tobin looks back down at the girl with questioning eyes, but Christen doesn’t say anything. She just looks back at her with pleading eyes, saying everything with just one look. </p>
<p>‘Don’t go,’ </p>
<p>Tobin bites down on her lip and isn’t really sure if she should stay or not, but she knows that she’s going to. She can’t leave Christen like this.  </p>
<p>So she walks backwards a few steps and sits back down on the couch, turning her body once again so that she’s facing Christen. She brings her legs up onto the couch, sitting with her legs criss crossed. “Do you want to talk about it?” Tobin asks softly. </p>
<p>Christen closes her eyes for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts and get some of her emotions under control. She doesn’t really want to talk about it but she also knows that she needs to give Tobin something. She’d come all the over here just to check on her and she’s staying because Christen wants her to so she should at least give her something. </p>
<p>“We’re going to start a new section on the app,” she starts to say. “Where people can submit their coming out stories and share their experiences and also have some resources for help if anyone needs it,” she explains. </p>
<p>“That sounds really nice,” Tobin says with a gentle smile. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen nods. “But a lot of these stories are so terrible,” she says sadly. “So many people have faced so many awful things for just trying to be who they are and for just being honest,” she says with another sniffle.</p>
<p>Tobin reaches out and softly brushes away a tear that’s fallen from Christen’s eye with her thumb, giving Christen a gentle smile. “Yeah, I’ve heard some stories,” she agrees. “It’s not a good experience for a lot of people out there. I mean we have come a long way, but there’s still really awful people in this world,” she agrees. “Is that why you’re upset? You’ve just been reading these sad stories?” </p>
<p>Christen nods her head, “Yeah,” she admits. “And I-....” she starts to say but then stops. She really doesn’t like talking about this and hardly anyone knows about it. “I didn’t have a good experience either,” she admits softly. “It just brought back some terrible memories,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her a frown and scoots a bit closer to her, reaching out for Christen’s hand. “I’m so sorry,” she says softly. “Do you want to talk about it?” </p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, squeezing her eyes closed as she feels more tears fill them. “No,” she says in a quiet voice. “I can’t,” she says, sounding a bit defeated. </p>
<p>“That’s okay,” Tobin nods, scooting even closer to Christen. She wraps an arm around her and pulls Christen into her body, holding her close. </p>
<p>Christen just about collapses into Tobin’s arms, burying her face in her neck again, fitting perfectly into Tobin’s body. “Did you have a hard time coming out?” Christen asks curiously after a moment. She picks her head up to look at Tobin.</p>
<p>“Uh...” </p>
<p>“You don’t have to tell me,” Christen says quickly, knowing that it’s not fair of her to expect Tobin to answer when Christen won’t tell her about her own experience. </p>
<p>“No, it’s okay,” Tobin assures her, placing a kiss on the top of Christen’s head. Christen buries her face back into Tobin’s neck and Tobin just holds her close. “It was really hard for me,” she admits. “But, my family thankfully took it really well,” she says honestly. “I just struggled with it myself for a really long time. I grew up in a very Christian household and I heard all the time at church and everything that being gay was wrong,” she starts to explain. “Whenever I realized it about myself, I uh...I hated myself for a very long time and I struggled with it a lot,” she says, making Christen hold her tighter. “I thought that my family would hate me and that they’d kick me out,” she admits. “But, I finally told them and I was crying and begging them not to hate me. I told them that I was sorry and that something was wrong with me and I didn’t want to be that way,” she admits sadly. </p>
<p>Christen looks back up at her and gives her a comforting smile. </p>
<p>And Tobin smiles back at her, “I remember they all just hugged me and comforted me and told me that they loved me no matter what and that there was nothing wrong with me,” she says with a small smile. “I spent so long hating myself and stressing out over it and it turned out that they didn’t even care,” she says with a small chuckle. “I’m one of the lucky ones,” she then adds with a small frown, knowing that’s not the case for a lot of people. </p>
<p>“You don’t have to feel guilty for having accepting parents,” Christen tells her. “My parents accepted me as well,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows at that. “I thought you said...</p>
<p>“It wasn’t my family,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Oh okay,” Tobin nods. She honestly wants to ask more because she’s curious about Christen’s past and what she went through, but she also knows that it’s not really any of her business. She also knows that whatever it was is obviously very upsetting for Christen and she wants to make her feel better, not upset her further. “Well, I’m not saying you have to tell me about it, but I’m also here for you if you want to tell me or need someone to talk to,” she tells her sincerely. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Christen says softly, snuggling into Tobin’s side. “But I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s hard,” she admits. </p>
<p>“That’s okay. We don’t have to talk,” she assures her, placing another kiss on the top of her head. </p>
<p>“Thank you for coming over, even though I told you not to,” Christen then says, after a moment of just sitting in silence. </p>
<p>Tobin chuckles softly, letting her fingers run through Christen’s hair. “I rarely do what I’m told to do,” Tobin jokes. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about you after you text me and then I got worried because you weren’t responding and I just knew that I wasn’t going to be able to sleep until I knew you were okay,” she explains. </p>
<p>“I would have been okay,” Christen tells her. “But, I’m glad you’re here,” she says. “I’ve missed you,” she admits quietly. </p>
<p>Tobin pauses her hand from running through Christen’s hair, and bites down on her lip. She has missed Christen a lot as well, even thought it’s only been a few days since they’ve really been together. But she also knows that Christen is a little drunk and it’s the only reason she’s probably telling her that, so she’s going to try not to get her hopes up too high. “I’ve missed you too,” Tobin replies just as softly. </p>
<p>Christen shifts underneath Tobin and picks her body up to straddle Tobin’s waist, letting her hands rest on her shoulders. “I miss kissing you,” she says quietly, before leaning in and placing her lips against Tobin’s softly. </p>
<p>Tobin smiles back at Christen when she pulls away, not trying to keep the kiss going. </p>
<p>But, Christen leans in again, kissing her a little more passionately than before. And when Tobin feels Christen’s hand start to slide up her shirt, she pulls away, and grabs Christen’s hand gently, stopping her. </p>
<p>“What’s wrong?” Christen asks with a frown. </p>
<p>Tobin just smiles at her again and wraps her arms around Christen’s waist. “Nothing,” she assures her. “You’re just drunk and I would feel like I’m taking advantage,” she tells her. “I don’t want you to regret anything tomorrow,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen stares at Tobin for a few moments, wanting to protest. But deep down inside, she knows that Tobin is right and she knows that she doesn’t need to be that annoying and pushy drunk girl. </p>
<p>It’s really not cute. </p>
<p>“Okay,” she says with a small sigh and a little bit of a pout. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help herself from leaning in and kissing her softly, one last time. “I’m going to get you some water.” Tobin says, tapping on Christen’s thigh so that she’ll climb off of her. “Have you eaten?” She asks as she’s getting up. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen frowns. “I’m not really hungry,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Well, you should really eat something,” she tells her as she walks into the kitchen. She opens up the fridge and frowns when she doesn’t see any food. “You really need to go grocery shopping,” she tells her with a sigh. </p>
<p>“I don’t cook,” Christen reminds her. </p>
<p>“What’s this?” She questions, pulling out a take out box and opening it up. “Is it still good?” </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen tells her. “It was dinner from last night.” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, pulling out a plate and putting what looks like some sort of salmon and veggies on a plate and then putting it in the microwave. </p>
<p>Christen walks into the kitchen, still swaying a bit as she walks up to Tobin. “You can’t put that in the microwave,” she frowns. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, “It’ll be fine,” she assures her. “Do you really want to wait for it to heat up in the oven?” She questions. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders, the frown still on her face. “I guess not,” she decides, as she sits down on one of the stools at her kitchen island. </p>
<p>Tobin grabs a glass of water for Christen and sets it in front of her as she waits for the microwave to finish heating up her leftovers. “Drink that,” she instructs her when she sees Christen just frowning down at it. </p>
<p>“Did you pour that from the sink?” She questions, her eyes widening in disgust. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but burst out into laughter. “Oh my god, you are such a princess,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Your sink has a purifier on it,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just grimaces, and pushes the glass away. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes once again and grabs the glass, pouring it out in the sink. She walks back over to the fridge and pulls a bottle of Christen’s sparkling water out. She refills the glass with it and then presents it to Christen, “Here,” she says with yet another eye roll. “Would you like a lemon with that?” She asks sarcastically. </p>
<p>“Lime,” Christen requests in a bit of a whiney voice. </p>
<p>Tobin scoffs but walks over to the fridge, grabbing a lime out and quickly slicing it up for Christen to put in her water. “Here, Princess,” she says, plopping it in Christen’s water. </p>
<p>Christen just grins and happily accepts the water, taking a drink of it. </p>
<p>“You’re kind of cute when you are drunk,” Tobin says, watching her fondly. </p>
<p>Christen blushes and thankfully, the microwave beeps, preventing her from having to respond to that. She’s never really been drunk in front of anyone. At least not since she was younger and would go out with friends. Now, she tries to keep the drinking to just a few glasses of wine or a couple of cocktails to wind down from the day. </p>
<p>“Do you need anything else?” Tobin asks, putting the plate in front of her and grabbing some silverware for her. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen shakes her head. “Thank you,” she smiles a bit sheepishly at Tobin. “Do you want some?” She then questions with a frown, realizing that Tobin doesn’t have anything to eat. </p>
<p>“No, I’ve eaten dinner,” she assures her. “I grabbed something from the cafe before I left work,” she tells her. “I was pretty tired today so I just ate something quick.” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods. “You can go home if you want,” she then tells her. “I’ll be okay.” </p>
<p>“Do you want me to leave?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen just bites down on her lip, “No,” she admits. </p>
<p>“Then, I’ll stay,” Tobin decides. </p>
<p>—-<br/>The next morning, Tobin wakes up to the overwhelming smell of Christen, reminding her that she’s at Christen’s condo. She buries her face in Christen’s pillow, holding it close to her, a smile appearing on her face. She’s missed this smell.</p>
<p>She reaches out, and frowns when she doesn’t feel Christen anywhere in the bed. With a sigh, she opens her eyes to confirm that she’s in bed alone. </p>
<p>With a frown, she drags herself out of bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes and takes a look around the room. She doesn’t see the girl anywhere. Glancing at the clock, she realizes that it’s almost 7am and Christen has probably been up for awhile now. Though, she’d thought that maybe she would have slept in a little, considering how drunk she’d been last night. </p>
<p>She walks out of the bedroom and spots Christen at the kitchen counter, sipping on a cup of coffee, flipping through a magazine. </p>
<p>“Morning,” Tobin greets sleepily. </p>
<p>Christen looks up and gives Tobin a tight lipped smile, “Morning,” she says quietly. “I was just about to wake you,” she informs her. “We should probably leave for work pretty soon,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, moving around the kitchen to stand next to Christen. She wraps her arms around the girl’s waist, but Christen puts a hand on her chest, pushing her away. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” she says with a sigh. “I shouldn’t have text you last night,” she says quietly. “I’m sorry. I was drinking and upset and I-...I fucked up,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, pulling completely away from Christen. “Right, yeah,” she says, trying not to sound as sad as she actually feels. She was definitely expecting this, but it still hurts a little. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen sighs again, knowing that the girl is upset. Honestly, she’s upset as well, but now that she doesn’t have alcohol flowing through her veins, she’s able to think more clearly and make better choices. “I know that I shouldn’t be playing with your feelings like this. I’m so sorry,” she apologizes. “I just...I really wanted to see you and I-...I wasn’t thinking clearly,” she tries to explain. </p>
<p>“Christen, I get it,” Tobin assures her. “I don’t regret coming over though,” she tells her. “I’m glad I could be here for you,” she adds with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“I’m glad you were here too,” Christen admits. “I just...we can’t do this,” she tells her, shaking her head. “If we can’t be together then we have to stop. I can’t just...It’s too hard.” </p>
<p>“Yeah, I know,” Tobin agrees. “But it’s also hard to stay away from you,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Christen looks up at Tobin, taking in a shaky breath. “Yeah, I know the feeling,” she says with a sad smile. “But, again, I’m really sorry. I don’t normally drink like that. I was probably a mess,” she says, her face turning a bit red with embarrassment. </p>
<p>“You were fine,” Tobin assures her. “You’re a cute drunk,” she grins. </p>
<p>Christen just blushes even harder and looks away from Tobin, a small smile on her face. “We should really get ready for work,” she says, changing the subject. “I made you some coffee if you want to drink it and then get changed and everything. Did you drive here?” She questions. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I did,” Tobin nods. </p>
<p>“Okay well, I’m going to head into the office,” she then says. “Just lock the door behind you and I’ll get this back from you later,” she says, sliding her key over to Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin looks down at it with a smirk, “Trusting me in your condo alone?” She says, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>“Don’t make me regret it,” she says with narrowed eyes. </p>
<p>“I’ll be good,” Tobin says with a grin. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’ll see you later, Tobin,” Christen says, lingering a bit. She really wants to reach out and kiss Tobin or at least hug her, but she knows that she can’t. So she settles for just an awkward wave before grabbing her things and leaving. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Tobin, hey!” A voice greets Tobin as soon as she gets through security at the front of her office building. She walks further into the lobby and sees Shirley waving at her from her place at the coffee counter. </p>
<p>Her eyes widen as she approaches, realizing that she’d never texted her or called her. “Hey, Shirley,” she says, giving her a smile. “Uh, I’m sorry that I never called you,” she immediately apologizes. “It was a stressful day and I accidentally threw the cup away without thinking,” she explains to her, which is actually the truth. </p>
<p>Though, she wasn’t sure if she was going to call her anyway. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Shirley says, her smile still bright. She writes down her number on a piece of paper and hands it over to Tobin. “Just don’t throw that away,” she says with a wink. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs a bit awkwardly and puts the paper in her pocket. “Yeah, I won’t,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Did you need your usual order?”</p>
<p>“Uh, actually we have a staff meeting in like half an hour so I’m going to need a pretty big order,” she tells her. She pulls up the coffee order on her phone that Mal had emailed her early this morning, asking if she could pick it up for her. Thankfully, Tobin has gotten into the habit of checking her email pretty frequently since getting this job. </p>
<p>She’s always getting emails now, sometimes at crazy hours. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Shirley nods, unphased. She glances over the order and then looks back up at Tobin. “They get this all the time. I pretty much have it memorized,” she assures her with another grin. “I’ll deliver it up there for you,” she suggests. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah, that’d be great. Thank you,” Tobin nods. She hands over her card to pay for everything and then gives Shirley another smile. “Thank you again, I’ll see you in a bit,” she says, pocketing the card and heading for the elevators. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin follows Ashlyn into the conference room for their weekly staff meeting, feeling a bit nervous for it. She hasn’t been to one of these yet and she’s not really sure what to expect. </p>
<p>She sees Christen already in the room, standing at the end of the long table, looking through some papers that she has neatly organized in a binder. Tobin just smiles and can picture Christen happily organizing it and color coding it. She’s probably one of the most organized people that Tobin knows. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help herself from staring at the look of concentration on the woman’s face. She’s got that little crinkle between her eyebrows that she gets when she’s really focused on something and she can tell that she has her jaw clenched, which just brings out that strong jaw line that she has. </p>
<p>It takes everything in her not to go over to the woman. </p>
<p>She really wants to wrap her up in her arms and kiss that little crinkle between her brows. </p>
<p>But she can’t. </p>
<p>Honestly, even going over to talk to her would look weird. </p>
<p>So instead, she stays across the room with Ashlyn, Ali, Mal and a few other people as they trickle into the meeting room. </p>
<p>“Hey guys, I have your coffee order,” a voice says from behind them. </p>
<p>Most of the women look up confused as Shirley walks into the room with a few trays of coffee and a box of pastries. But Tobin smiles and walks over to her. “Hey, Shirley,” she greets with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin takes the coffee trays from her and helps her to sit everything down on the table.</p>
<p>“Thank you for bringing these up,” Tobin tells her again with a smile. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out some cash to give the woman a tip for bringing everything up to them because she knows that she didn’t have to do that. </p>
<p>However, Shirley shakes her head and pushes Tobin’s hand gently away, “No, keep it,” she tells her with a smile. “Just don’t lose my number again,” she says with a wink before walking out of the room. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles softly as she watches her walk out and then turns back to see most of the women staring at her with smirks on their faces. </p>
<p>But, she definitely doesn’t miss the furrowed brows and small scowl on Christen’s face across the room.</p>
<p>“What the hell was that?” Pinoe asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>“What?” Tobin says with an awkward shrug. </p>
<p>“She’s never brought our order up to us. We always have to pick it up ourselves,” Mal butts in with furrowed brows. And then it seems to click for her and she gets a smirk on her face just like the others, “Oh! She totally likes you!” She squeals. </p>
<p>Tobin clears her throat uncomfortably and glances over at Christen who has gone back to looking through her notes. Though, Tobin can see how she’s flipping the pages a bit more aggressively than she had been. </p>
<p>“No, she was just being nice,” Tobin tries to brush off. </p>
<p>“What was that about not losing her number?” Pinoe then asks, the smug smirk still on her face. </p>
<p>Tobin curses in her head and just lets out a breath. “Oh she um...she gave me her number yesterday but I accidentally threw the cup away,” she explains to them. “So she gave it to me again,” she admits, knowing there is no way out of this and that she’s never going to hear the end of it.</p>
<p>“Are you going to call her? She’s super cute!” Ali speaks up with a grin. </p>
<p>“Hey guys can we please get this meeting started?” Christen asks from across the room, the scowl still on her face. </p>
<p>All of the girls immediately start to take their seats, smiling a bit sheepishly at Christen, “Sorry, Pressi,” Pinoe says with a chuckle. “You girls are all children. This isn’t high school,” she then says, chastising the other women with a grin on her face, knowing full well she’d been the instigator. </p>
<p>The other women just roll their eyes at her, not even feeling the need to argue with her. </p>
<p>Christen lets out another frustrated sigh and straightens her back, looking at her team as they all settle into their chairs. She glances back at Tobin who is standing in the back of the room with her notepad, ready to take notes. </p>
<p>She hadn’t been sure she was supposed to be in this staff meeting but Ashlyn had assured her that she wanted her there and told her to take careful notes. Tobin’s not exactly sure what to expect but she’s pretty sure she’s just decided to write down basically everything that Christen says. Especially if it has to do with the fashion section of the magazine. </p>
<p>Christen manages to pull her focus back to the people at the table and not how cute Tobin looks with her glasses on and her little notepad and pen, looking alert and ready. She looks over to Megan, clearing her throat again. “Pinoe, do you want to start by telling everyone about the new submission section on our app and website?” She says, sitting down in her chair at the head of the table. </p>
<p>“Yeah, sure,” Pinoe smiles, standing up from her chair. She grabs all of her notes and makes her way to the front of the room where she has a power point prepared for the presentation on the new feature on their app. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>After the staff meeting is over, Ashlyn takes a lunch break with Ali so Tobin has an hour to herself. Ashlyn had been sure to leave her with a few things to get done while she was gone, but mainly she’d told her to stay by the phone and take her calls. </p>
<p>She decides to sneak away for a few moments, taking the headset with her just in case and heads towards Christen’s office hoping that she’s still around and hasn’t gone off to lunch as well. </p>
<p>Sure enough, she’s sitting in her office concentrated on her computer screen like she always is. Tobin’s pretty sure she’d have headaches if she had to look at a computer or phone as much as Christen does. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Tobin says softly, lingering in the doorway for a moment before walking into the office. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Christen greets back, not taking her eyes off of the screen. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns a bit at the lack of acknowledgement, but continues her way into the office, taking a seat in the chair across from Christen, “You aren’t going to lunch?” She questions. </p>
<p>“No. I have a lot of work to do,” Christen responds, still not looking up at Tobin. “I’ll grab a salad or something from the cafe later,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Yeah, Ashlyn went to lunch with Ali so I’ve got to stay behind and man the desk,” she informs her, though she can tell that Christen doesn’t really seem too interested in talking to her. “Let me know when you’re ready to eat. I can go and grab you something when I get mine,” she tells her with a smile. </p>
<p>“That’s okay. I can go or I’ll have Mal go,” she tells her. “You aren’t my assistant, Tobin,” she then reminds her. </p>
<p>“Right,” Tobin nods with a frown. “I just meant, I’m going anyway so it wouldn’t be a problem,” she says with a shrug. “But um...you seem busy so I guess I’ll leave you alone,” Tobin says with a small sigh, seeing that Christen wasn’t going to even look at her. “Oh and here is your key,” she adds, pulling it out of her pocket and setting it on the desk. “I promise I didn’t snoop or like trash the place or anything,” she says with a small smile. </p>
<p>But when she realizes that Christen isn’t going to look up at her, Tobin just sighs and turns around to head out of the office. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen’s voice says with a sigh of her own. “I’m sorry,” she then says softly, looking up from her screen to look at Tobin who slowly turns back around to face her. </p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” Christen responds sharply. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, obviously not convinced. “If this is about last night-</p>
<p>“It’s not,” Christen interrupts sharply. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin says. “You just seem like you are upset with me or you don’t want to see me and I don’t want you to be embarrassed or feel bad about what happened last night,” Tobin tries to say with a worried look.</p>
<p>“I’m not embarrassed,” Christen snaps. But when she sees the nervous look on Tobin’s face, she softens and lets out a small sigh once again. “I’m sorry,” she says, rubbing her temples with her fingers for a moment. “I guess I am a little embarrassed,” she admits. “But I’m not upset with you for that, Tobin,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“But you are upset,” Tobin points out with a frown. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen says quickly. </p>
<p>“You just said-</p>
<p>“Are you going out with that girl from the coffee shop downstairs?” Christen asks bluntly, surprising herself and Tobin as well. </p>
<p>Tobin opens her mouth and closes it back like a fish, not expecting that at all and not really sure what to say to her. “No,” she finally says, shaking her head. “No, I’m not planning on going out with her,” she says with furrowed brows. “Why?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Christen shrugs, feeling a little self conscious, which is very rare for her. Or at least if she feels self conscious normally she can hide it better than she is right now. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you that. What you do in your free time is your business,” she tells her, moving her eyes back over to her computer, not wanting to look at Tobin. </p>
<p>“Wait,” Tobin says, a smirk forming on her face, “Are you jealous?” </p>
<p>“What? No,” Christen says with a scoff. “I just...I just think you can do better,” she says with a slightly awkward shrug, as she starts fiddling with a pen on her desk, suddenly not really sure what to do with her hands. She’s just got a lot of anxious energy all of a sudden. </p>
<p>“Because she just works at a coffee shop?” Tobin asks with a frown. </p>
<p>“No, of course not,” Christen says firmly, giving Tobin a stern look. “Because she isn’t me,” Christen says boldly, once again surprising herself. </p>
<p>“Chris...” Tobin says softly. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Christen says, shaking her head at herself. </p>
<p>“You know that I’d rather be with you,” Tobin tells her honestly. “But-</p>
<p>“We can’t, I know,” Christen nods with a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, I’m being really unprofessional right now and very unlike myself,” she says with furrowed brows. “Just...do whatever makes you happy, Tobin. It’s really not any of my business. Shirley seems nice,” she says, hoping that she sounds more convincing than she feels she does. </p>
<p>“Yeah, okay,” Tobin nods quietly. “I should get back to work,” she then says, standing up from the chair. “Just let me know if you want a salad or something,” she tells her before walking out of the office, feeling a weight on her chest. </p>
<p>Christen looks back up, watching Tobin walk out of her office and just shakes her head at herself. “Pull yourself together,” she mumbles, burying her face in her hands. </p>
<p>Tobin is making her lose all of her control and it’s making her feel crazy.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“What about Tobin?” </p>
<p>Tobin perks her head up from her desk and looks over towards Ali’s voice where she sees Ashlyn, Pinoe and Christen gathered around Ali’s desk talking. She furrows her brows at them and slowly and a bit cautiously gets up from her desk to approach them, “What about me?” She asks carefully. She notices the look of dismay on Christen’s face, but sees Pinoe and Ashlyn smirking and it just makes her a little nervous. </p>
<p>“Ali has to write an article on a new dating app,” Ashlyn informs her. “It’s supposed to be directed more towards ladies lovin ladies,” she adds, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin says slowly. “What does this have to do with me?” </p>
<p>“Well I need someone to actually try the app out. I wanted to find someone to use it and actually go on a date with one of the women they get paired with and then write an article on the experience,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>“And you want me to do that?” Tobin asks, confused. </p>
<p>“Well I can’t, I’m married,” she says matter of fact. “Pretty much everyone here is spoken for,” she informs her. “And most of the other single ones are straight,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Well how do you know that I’m single?” Tobini asks with a frown. </p>
<p>“Well are you?” Pinoe asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin glances over to Christen who has her eyes down, looking at Ali’s computer, but Tobin can tell she’s not actually reading anything and she’s just trying to avoid Tobin’s eyes. “Uh...well...yeah, I guess I am,” she says a bit uncomfortably. </p>
<p>Ali, Pinoe and Ashlyn share a look, but none of them say anything. “Unless Pressi wants to do it,” Pinoe says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen looks up at them with wide eyes and then gives them a glare. “No way. I’m not going on a date with someone random and letting you write about it,” she tells them. </p>
<p>“Hey you’re the one who wanted this article,” Ali argues with a grin. </p>
<p>“No, it was pitched and I gave it the go ahead,” she corrects. </p>
<p>“Fine.” Ali says with a playful sigh. “What do you say Tobin?” She asks, once again turning her attention over to Tobin.</p>
<p>Tobin bites down on her lip and glances over to Christen again who has a small scowl on her face, but other than that she’s not giving Tobin any sign that she shouldn’t do it. Though, Tobin also knows that Christen was a little jealous earlier and she probably really doesn’t want her to. Not that it matters, because it’s not like her and Christen are ever going to get to be together. </p>
<p>Christen just double confirmed that for her this morning. </p>
<p>And it’s not like she has to marry this random woman that she meets. It’s just for an article. Plus, it’s for Ali and she knows that helping her out will definitely give her points with Ashlyn. “Sure, I guess so,” Tobin finally shrugs. </p>
<p>“Awesome!” Ali grins, excited. “Okay let me see your phone,” she says, reaching out towards Tobin with grabby hands. </p>
<p>Tobin opens her phone and hands it over to Ali letting her download the new dating app for her. As soon as it’s done she starts making a profile for Tobin, but then frowns and hands the phone back to Tobin. </p>
<p>“I guess I should let you pick your photos and everything. I don’t know what’s in your roll,” she says with a wink. </p>
<p>Tobin just blushes, “I don’t have anything like that,” she says, feeling a bit embarrassed. “But yeah, I’ll set this up tonight,” she tells her, putting her phone back in her pocket. </p>
<p>“No! We’re doing this now! It’ll be fun!” Ali says with excitement and Pinoe nods along with her, scooting her chair closer to Ali and pulling up an empty one for Tobin. “I want to be here for the whole process, so you know, I can write it truthfully and knowledgeably,” she explains.</p>
<p>“Oh, I have some work to do,” Tobin tells them. “I can just do it when I’m off. I promise that I’ll do it and I’ll tell you all about it.” She says, not really up for doing it right now. Especially with Christen still lingering around, still acting as if she’s doing something, looking over some papers in her hand. But Tobin knows that she’s just trying to make herself look busy.</p>
<p>“Ashlyn,” Ali says with a small pout, looking up at her wife. </p>
<p>Ashlyn rolls her eyes. “Don’t do that. Tobin is mine,” she tells her with a small glare. “Get your own assistant,” she adds. </p>
<p>Ali gives Ashlyn a glare that makes Ashlyn’s glare fade and she lets out a sigh. </p>
<p>“Have fun, Tobin,” she says putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. </p>
<p>“What?” Tobin asks with wide eyes, watching Ashlyn walk away from them. </p>
<p>“Okay, let’s get started!” Ali says as Pinoe pulls up an empty chair for Tobin to sit in. </p>
<p>“Pinoe, don’t you have work to do?” Christen asks, looking at her with narrowed eyes. </p>
<p>“I have a few minutes to spare,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m trying to help out fellow teammates,” she says with a grin. “I thought we helped each other out around here?” She asks with a smirk.</p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes and tucks the papers she’d been looking over under her arm, “Fine, I’m going to finish reading this in my office. I don’t want any part of this,” she says, and then looks at Ali. “I’ll let you know when I’m done and we can discuss it,” she tells her, before spinning on her heel and walking back to her office. </p>
<p>Tobin just watches her go with a frown. She really doesn’t want to upset Christen, but she knows they’re not actually together and she’s not really doing anything wrong. Plus, she really wants to make a good impression on Ali and Ashlyn. She doesn’t want to have them mad at her already. </p>
<p>But, she also does realize that Christen does have feelings for her and it’s not that she’s turning her down because she doesn’t like her. She’s doing it because of reasons out of their control. </p>
<p>It’s just all around unfair. </p>
<p>“Tobin?” She hears, pulling her from her thoughts. “Let’s see your photos,” Ali says, putting her hand out for Tobin’s phone again. </p>
<p>“Oh right,” Tobin says with a small sigh, pulling her phone back out of her pocket and handing it over to Ali and Pinoe. She just sits back in her chair as she watches them giddily scroll through her photos, debating on which ones they should use. </p>
<p>She loves taking photos of other people and things, but she’s never really been a fan of taking photos of herself. She’s just hoping there will be something on her camera roll that they can use. </p>
<p>But she’ll leave it up to them. She really doesn’t care. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>It feels like forever, but they finally get Tobin’s profile set up. Honestly, she just keeps glancing back at Ashlyn in her office, hoping that something will come up and she’ll need her, but she doesn’t have that kind of luck apparently. </p>
<p>“Okay, now all you have to do is answer a couple of questions about your preferences,” Ali explains to her. She hands the phone back over to Tobin, letting her answer the vague questions and honestly, Tobin feels weird about all of this. </p>
<p>She’s never really used a dating app before and it feels a little awkward. She’s not sure how she feels about judging someone just based off of a short profile. </p>
<p>But she supposes that it’s just for the article and it’s not like she’s really planning on anything coming out of this. </p>
<p>“Okay, now we just start swiping,” Ali says with a grin, taking the phone back from Tobin. “What about her?” She asks, tilting the screen so that Tobin can see. </p>
<p>“Yeah, she’s pretty,” Tobin shrugs, not really showing that much interest. </p>
<p>“Well what is your type?” Ali questions curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns and furrows her brows, “I don’t know...I don’t really have one, I guess,” she says honestly. “Or I’ve never really thought about it,” she adds. </p>
<p>Pinoe just sends her a smirk, “Black curly hair and bright green eyes?” She asks with a wicked grin. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she looks over Pinoe, “What? No,” she says quickly. “I mean-...I don’t have a type,” she says with a frown, not really sure how to get herself out of this one. She’s also not really sure what all Pinoe knows or is thinking about her and Christen and it’s making her really nervous. </p>
<p>“Everyone has a crush on Christen, it’s fine,” Ali tells her. </p>
<p>“I don’t...I mean, she’s pretty but she’s my boss,” Tobin says, swallowing hard. </p>
<p>Ali just gives her another smirk before turning back to the phone, scrolling through a few more people. “Oh look! Shirley is on here!” She says, showing Tobin the profile. “This is the girl from the coffee shop who likes you right?”</p>
<p>“Uh yeah,” Tobin says, taking the phone from Ali and looking over Shirley’s profile. </p>
<p>“It’s like it’s fate!” Ali says with a wide grin. “You should definitely go on a date with her,” she tells her. “Send her a message!” </p>
<p>“She has her phone number,” Pinoe reminds her. </p>
<p>“Well yeah, but we’re supposed to be doing all of this through the app,” she explains. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs, because she really hadn’t decided if she wanted to call Shirley. But, she supposes going out on a date with her would be better than just some random woman that she’s never even met before. </p>
<p>And Shirley is pretty and obviously very nice. </p>
<p>It won’t hurt to try, right?</p>
<p>“Yeah, okay, I’ll message her,” Tobin confirms. </p>
<p>“Awesome,” Ali grins happily. “Should we keep swiping to see if you like anyone else?” She asks, wiggling her brows. “You are single, you should live it up,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Pinoe just laughs behind her, “Are you trying to live vicariously through her?” She asks, amused. </p>
<p>“Hey, I’m happy being married,” Ali defends. “I’m just saying,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles at her and puts her phone in her phone down after sending a quick message to Shirley. “No, I think one is good for me,” she tells her honestly. “I don’t really date around or sleep around or whatever,” she tells them. “I just want an actual relationship,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“That’s so sweet,” Pinoe says with a big smile. “And anyone would be lucky to have you. We’ll find you someone,” she tells her with a confident smile. </p>
<p>“What did you say to her?” Ali asks curiously. Tobin gives her a hesitant look and even Pinoe raises a brow, “What? This is for my article!” She says with a shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, not really bothered. “I just mentioned that it was a coincidence to see her on the app and I asked her if she wanted to get dinner with me,” Tobin tells them. </p>
<p>“Oh getting straight to the point,” Pinoe laughs, “Not even a hey.”  </p>
<p>“I said hi,” Tobin defends. “But, it’s not like I don’t know her. Why beat around the bush?” She questions. Honestly, she’s just still not sure she really wants to do this and she kind of wants to get it over with, rather than drag it out and sit here sharing their conversation with Ali and Pinoe. </p>
<p>And she knows that it’s probably not fair to Shirley because her heart is not fully in it. </p>
<p>But a part of her is maybe hoping she’ll actually end up liking Shirley and maybe she can move on from Christen. </p>
<p>Though, she knows that’s going to be easier said than done.</p>
<p>Her phone starts vibrating from its place on Ali’s desk and Tobin looks at it a bit surprised, but Ali’s face lights up with excitement. “Is that her?” She questions with a giddy grin. </p>
<p>Tobin looks at her phone, hiding it away from their prying eyes in case it’s not her and it’s something that they shouldn’t see. Not that she really expects Christen to be texting her right now. Especially since she knows that she’s with Ali and Pinoe right now. </p>
<p>“Yeah it is,” she says, surprised that the girl has responded so quickly. “She asked if I had plans tonight,” Tobin says with furrowed brows. </p>
<p>“Wow, she really does want you,” Pinoe says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“So? Are you busy tonight?” Ali pushes. </p>
<p>“Uh...no,” Tobin admits, not really being able to think of a good excuse on the spot like this. But she really hadn’t planned on doing this so soon. Not that it really matters, she probably won’t feel much different about it tomorrow or the next day. </p>
<p>“So do it!” Ali says with an encouraging look. “Take her out! And then tell me all about it,” she smiles. </p>
<p>Tobin bites down on her lip as she stares at their message thread. “I guess I can do tonight,” she decides, not really having any reason to say no. </p>
<p>Now she just has to figure out where to take her.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>When Christen gets off of work tonight, she decides to just go to the bar to get a drink. She’d been avoiding it because she hadn’t wanted to run into Tobin, but she’s realizing she can’t just avoid seeing her forever. Plus, she could really use a drink that isn’t alone in her apartment. </p>
<p>And she knows that she could always just go to a different bar, but she knows this bar. She’s been going here for years. She knows the bartender and they know her. As soon as she walks into the door, they already have her drink started with a smile on their face. </p>
<p>And Christen doesn’t do well with change or new things. </p>
<p>She’s pretty sure that she overheard that Tobin is going on her date tonight anyway so she probably won’t be here. </p>
<p>Which may also have something to do with the reason she feels the need for a drink. </p>
<p>She knows that she can’t stop Tobin from being with anyone and that it wouldn’t be fair. But it also doesn’t mean that she has to be happy about it. </p>
<p>Thankfully, when she walks in she sees no sign on the girl. It’s not very crowded considering it’s still a week night, and she’s happy about that. She always hates having to fight the crowds or worry about people leaning in over her, trying to get the bartender's attention. She likes to just sit quietly by herself and enjoy a few drinks before heading home. </p>
<p>And as soon as she’s sitting on the bar stool she sees the bartending heading her way with a martini, making her smile. “Thank you, Corsie.” She tells her with a friendly smile. </p>
<p>She’s never had too long of a conversation with the bartender but she knows by now that her name is Rachel Corsie but everyone calls her Corsie. And she also knows that the woman is from Scotland. But that’s really it. </p>
<p>She seems nice enough, but honestly Christen isn’t normally the chatty type. </p>
<p>“Haven’t seen ya in here as much,” Corsie says, as she wipes down part of the bar. </p>
<p>Christen just hums in response, “Yeah, work has been kind of crazy,” she tells her, not really wanting to admit that she’s been avoiding coming here.  </p>
<p>Rachel just nods and gives her another friendly smile, “Well let me know if you need anything,” she tells her before walking to the other end to take care of some guests down there. </p>
<p>Christen just takes a generous sip of her martini and pulls her phone out, going through some of her emails. </p>
<p>It’s only a few minutes later when she hears the door open and glances over to look. It’s not that she really cares who is coming through the door because she probably won’t know them but she likes to be aware of her surroundings. </p>
<p>And sure enough this time it’s Tobin walking through the door with the woman from the coffee shop in their office lobby. </p>
<p>Christen and Tobin’s eyes meet and Christen can see the shock on Tobin’s face. Though, she’s not really sure why she’s so surprised. Tobin knows that Christen comes here pretty often so it shouldn’t be that surprising. </p>
<p>Honestly, it’s almost like Tobin had wanted Christen to see them together. </p>
<p>But, she also doesn’t think that’s true either. She knows Tobin well enough to know she would never be that mean. </p>
<p>“Oh hey Miss Press!” Shirley greets as the two of them walk up to the bar. “Funny running into you here,” she says with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just gives her a tight lipped smile, “Christen is fine,” she tells her. “And not really considering it’s just a block away from the office,” she says, wincing at how bitter her voice sounds. </p>
<p>“Oh right,” Shirley says, the grin still on her face, obviously not deterred from Christen’s attitude. “Me and Tobin just had dinner and decided to grab a drink,” she says, linking her arm through Tobin’s. </p>
<p>Tobin clears her throat awkwardly and smiles at Shirley before turning back to Christen. “It’s good to see you Christen,” she says, trying to sound polite and casual and not as awkward as she actually feels. </p>
<p>“Well you guys should go enjoy your night,” Christen says, not really wanting to be talking to them or trying to act polite any longer. She’s not sure how much longer she can pull off being this fake. </p>
<p>She’s never been good at hiding how she feels. </p>
<p>Even if her words are friendly, her face betrays her sometimes. </p>
<p>“Right, I’ll see you tomorrow Chris...uhh Christen,” she says with a small smile. She turns and guides Shirley down to the other end of the bar to grab them a couple of drinks before making their way over to a table in the back. </p>
<p>“Fuck,” Christen grumbles with a sigh. She picks up her martini and downs the rest of it before waving her hand towards Rachel, letting her know that she’s ready for another one. </p>
<p>She takes another sip of the new one and then tries to focus back on her phone and not Tobin and Shirley behind her. She can still see them out of the corner of her eye and she’s trying really hard not to focus on them.</p>
<p>But she also can’t help but look every now and then. </p>
<p>And Tobin’s not doing much better. </p>
<p>She’s trying really hard not to be rude and to actually listen to what Shirley is saying, but she’s finding it really difficult. She can’t keep her eyes off of Christen and she’s finding herself just throwing in some ‘yeah’s’ occasionally and doing a lot of nodding. </p>
<p>Honestly, she shouldn’t even be here with Shirley and she knows that. </p>
<p>But she’d really wanted to help Ali out and also, she knows that she can’t just wait around for Christen. It’s not like that can ever happen, unless she plans on quitting, which she really doesn’t want to do. And Shirley had been really sweet all night and honestly, Tobin had enjoyed herself. </p>
<p>Though she still can’t stop thinking about Christen. And it’s a little annoying because there is this perfectly sweet girl sitting across from her that she can actually be with, yet she doesn’t want to be here.</p>
<p>Stupid heart and stupid feelings. </p>
<p>“Tobin?” She hears Shirley’s voice say, making her snap her gaze away from Christen and look over at the woman. “Are you okay?” She asks with a frown on her face. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah,” Tobin says, giving her a smile. “Sorry, I’m just a little distracted, I guess,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Work?” She asks, knowingly. “I’ve seen how stressful working at the magazine can be. I’ve worked in the cafe for a couple of years now,” she informs Tobin. </p>
<p>“Oh uh, yeah,” Tobin says, and it’s not a complete lie. She’s distracted by Christen who is her boss so it’s sort of work related. “Being an assistant is a lot more stressful than I thought it was going to be,” she tells her. “But, I do really love it,” she adds, not wanting the woman to think she doesn’t enjoy her job. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m sure it’s pretty cool,” Shirley smiles. “I honestly love the magazine. I’ve read it for years, even when it just started as an online blog,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“It started as a blog?” Tobin asks with a small frown, her brows furrowed. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah,” Shirley nods. “It used to just be a blog that Christen wrote and then her and a few other writers started putting things out and I guess it just grew from there,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>“Wait, Christen is a writer?” </p>
<p>Shirley just laughs at her, “You really don’t know much about your boss do you?” She asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>“I guess not,” Tobin frowns. </p>
<p>“Yeah, she started just a blog a long time ago. She just talked about her life and her experiences and meditation and stuff. It was pretty interesting,” she reveals. “She doesn’t write much anymore, but I wish she did. I really liked reading her stuff,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin just lets out a humming sound and looks back up at Christen who is just staring at her phone with a frown on her face. </p>
<p>Tobin realizes she still doesn’t know much about Christen at all. </p>
<p>And she really wants to know more. </p>
<p>She looks back over at Christen to see her getting up off of her stool and heading off into the bathroom. Tobin chews on her lip for a moment, wanting to follow her just to get another chance to talk to her and a little bit of privacy. </p>
<p>But she also knows that’s a little creepy. </p>
<p>“I’m going to run to the restroom,” Tobin finally says, not being able to help herself. “I’ll be right back,” she adds, standing up and giving Shirley a quick smile before walking to the bathroom. </p>
<p>When she gets inside she sees Christen standing in front of the sink just looking at her reflection in the mirror. She jumps a bit and looks a little startled when she hears the door close behind Tobin, making her look over at her. “Hi,” Christen breathes out when she sees her. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Tobin smiles. “You okay?” She questions. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen nods. “Don’t worry, I’m only having the two drinks today,” she says with a small smirk, knowing that Tobin had seen her pretty drunk last night. </p>
<p>“I’m not judging,” Tobin shrugs easily. </p>
<p>“I don’t normally drink like that,” Christen feels the need to say. </p>
<p>“You said that,” Tobin reminds her of their conversation this morning. “But, either way I don’t mind. I’ve had my fair share of drunken nights,” she says with a chuckle. </p>
<p>“So how’s your date going?” Christen asks curiously, reaching into her purse for her lipstick and using the mirror to put more on. Really, she just needs something to do as she tries to act as casual as possible at the fact that Tobin is here on a date. </p>
<p>“It’s not really a date,” Tobin tells her. </p>
<p>“It’s not?” Christen questions curiously. “I’m pretty sure that she thinks that it is,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Well, I guess it is,” Tobin shrugs. “But, I’m just helping Ali out with the article,” she reminds Christen. “I mean she’s great and all but...” </p>
<p>“But?” Christen asks, turning back towards Tobin. </p>
<p>“But, she’s not you,” Tobin says honestly.</p>
<p>And Christen can’t help herself. </p>
<p>She surges forward, grabbing Tobin by the back of her neck and pulling her into a searing kiss. </p>
<p>Tobin gasps into the kiss, a little surprised by the action. But it doesn’t take her long to sink into it, wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist, pulling her in closer to her.</p>
<p>And holy shit as she missed this feeling. </p>
<p>“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” she mumbles, trailing her kisses down Christen’s neck, sucking hard on her pulse point. Christen had kissed her last night, but it felt different than this. She was drunk and Tobin felt guilty, she hadn’t really been able to enjoy it. And it hadn’t been nearly as desperate and passionate as it is right now. </p>
<p>She feels a warm tingly feeling throughout her whole body. </p>
<p>She feels like she’s come home from a long trip.</p>
<p>Christen throws her head back with a moan, her fingers tangling in Tobin’s hair. “I miss your hands on me,” she admits, being fully aware of Tobin’s strong hands, sliding down her backside. </p>
<p>Tobin groans and moves her kisses back up Christen’s jaw until she finds her lips again, pulling her into a deep kiss, pressing their bodies flush against each other. “I want you, Chris,” she whispers against her lips, only detaching them long enough to mumble out those words. She’s had enough of pretending that she doesn’t want Christen. </p>
<p>Enough of trying to make herself like someone else.</p>
<p>She knows what she wants.</p>
<p>Christen continues the kiss for a few more moments, until reality comes crashing back down on her and she pulls away from Tobin abruptly. “Fuck,” she says, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Shit, I’m sorry. I can’t believe I did that,” she says, panicked. “This is....so unlike me,” she says, feeling embarrassed. </p>
<p>“Don’t apologize,” Tobin says, stepping closer to Christen and reaching out for her. She places her hands on Christen’s hips and is a little surprised when Christen doesn’t pull away from her. “I know that there are rules, but Chris.... I want you so much,” she admits, leaning down and resting her forehead against Christen’s. “I can’t help it.” </p>
<p>Christen sighs and lets her arms wrap around Tobin’s neck, her fingers playing with the baby hairs on the back of her neck. “Tobin....,” she whispers, letting her eyes slip closed, just relishing in the warmth of the other woman. </p>
<p>She wants her too. </p>
<p>She wants her more than she’s wanted anyone in a long time. Or really even, ever.</p>
<p>“I-</p>
<p>They get interrupted by someone coming into the restroom and thankfully, it’s not anyone that they know. However, they do still jump apart, looking extremely guilty. The woman just smirks at them and walks into a stall. </p>
<p>“Can we go somewhere and talk?” Tobin asks hopefully. </p>
<p>“You have a date to finish,” Christen says, giving Tobin a sad smile. “And I should get home,” she adds, grabbing her purse off the counter. </p>
<p>“Christen...” she says desperately. </p>
<p>“I’ve got to go,” Christen tells her, but not before leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. She gives Tobin one last sad smile, and then turns and walks out of the bathroom. </p>
<p>Tobin just lets out a heavy sigh and walks out as well, realizing Shirley was probably getting a little concerned about her. </p>
<p>And she really doesn’t want to hurt Shirley, but she knows that she’s got to end this with her now. It’s not fair to her for Tobin to be acting and feeling this way for another woman. Shirley doesn’t deserve it.</p>
<p>And even if Tobin still can’t have Christen, she knows that she can’t try and act like she wants anyone else right now.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright so as I said on tumblr, I'm going to be out of town for about a week so I probably won't be updating anything which is why I worked really hard to get this up for you before I leave! </p>
<p>I'll work on A Smart Romance when I get back! </p>
<p>Also please leave me some comments and let me know your thoughts on this chapter and the story as a whole!! Comments inspire me to write quicker! lolol</p>
<p>Find me on tumblr, I'll still be on my phone some if you want to chat or have questions! </p>
<p>tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! I'm back! </p>
<p>Enjoy guys...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After her encounter with Christen in the bathroom, Tobin walks back into the bar a little bit in a daze. She didn’t really know what she had been expecting when she followed Christen into the bathroom, but it definitely hadn’t been that. </p>
<p>She looks over to where Christen is and sees her sipping on her martini, her gaze on her phone, even though she can tell she’s not actually doing anything on it. She can see her leg bouncing with anxiety, which means that she’s not as calm and collected after their interaction as she may seem or as she’s trying to make herself seem. </p>
<p>Tobin fights the urge to go over to her, but she knows that she needs to go back to Shirley. She’s been rude enough tonight. </p>
<p>But she also really needs to talk to Christen.</p>
<p>She’s more confused than ever about whatever it is that is going on between them. </p>
<p>With a sigh, Tobin walks back over to Shirley who is smiling widely at her. “Hey, you okay?” Shirley questions curiously. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah...long line,” Tobin lies, realizing she’s been gone for longer than she probably should have been. And she feels guilty for lying to her, but honestly she feels guilty about the entire night. </p>
<p>Shirley just nods her head and takes a drink of her drink. “So anyway, tell me more about yourself, Tobin,” Shirley asks with a smile. “I feel like I’ve been talking all night,” she says with a small giggle. </p>
<p>And it’s true. She’d spent most of the night talking about how she grew up in Costa Rica and how she wound up here in the United States. Tobin had just nodded along and smiled, giving out short answers when necessary, but she hadn’t done much talking herself. </p>
<p>“Oh well...what do you want to know?” Tobin asks with furrowed brows. “I’m not that interesting,” she admits. </p>
<p>“I’m sure that’s not true,” Shirley smiles. “Where are you from?”</p>
<p>“Uh, I grew up in Jersey,” she says with a small shrug. “I spent most of my childhood playing soccer or just being outside. My mom would always have to drag me in at night,” she says with a small smile. </p>
<p>“That’s cute,” Shirley grins, but then frowns when she realizes Tobin is yet again looking past her and not really paying any attention to their conversation. It honestly feels like she’s been fighting for her attention since they’ve gotten here. And even before that, she hadn’t seemed too interested. “Tobin, do you not want to be here with me?” She asks with a small frown. </p>
<p>“What?” Tobin asks, looking away from Christen and back to Shirley. “I’m sorry,” she sighs. “I’m just distracted,” she admits. She glances back over towards Christen and sees the woman paying her tab and gathering up her things getting ready to leave. A part of her wants to get up and go after her, but she resists the urge, knowing she doesn’t need to just run out on Shirley. </p>
<p>“I can tell,” Shirley nods. “I’m sorry if I’m boring you,” she says with an awkward chuckle. </p>
<p>“No,” Tobin says, shaking her head. “You’re great,” she says honestly. “I just...” she starts to say and then sighs, shaking her head. “Honestly, I shouldn’t have agreed to go out with you,” she says, looking up to meet Shirley’s gaze. “I’m kind of still trying to get over someone,” she says, deciding not to give too many details. “And it isn’t fair to you because I can’t fully be in this,” she explains.</p>
<p>Shirley just nods with a frown on her face. “Well, thank you for being honest with me,” she says softly. She sits back in her chair, letting her shoulders slump a bit, “But, this sucks,” she says with a sarcastic chuckle. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” is all Tobin can think to say. “Seriously, you’re great. I’m just...I can’t think about being with anyone else right now,” she tells her truthfully. </p>
<p>“I get it,” Shirley nods. “But she can’t be that great if she let you go,” she tells her honestly. </p>
<p>“She didn’t-...” Tobin starts to say, but then sighs, “It’s complicated,” she mumbles. </p>
<p>“Well...I won’t lie and say that I’m not disappointed,” Shirley says honestly. “I think that I’m starting to like you and I was hoping for a second date but I guess if you’re not up for it then I can deal with just being friends. I’d still like to get to know you and maybe eventually we can talk about it again,” she says with a hopeful smile. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her a smile, but Shirley can see the hesitation in her eyes. “I’d like to be your friend,” Tobin says truthfully. </p>
<p>“But?” Shirley asks knowingly. </p>
<p>“But, I know how you feel and I don’t want to hurt you,” she explains. “I don’t know when I’ll be ready to actually be with anyone else and I don’t want you to wait around or your feelings to grow and I end up hurting you or something.” </p>
<p>Shirley just shrugs, “I’m a big girl, I’ll be alright,” she says, trying to convince her. “It’s not like I’m in love with you or something. If you never like me that way then that’s okay. At least I made a new friend,” she smiles. </p>
<p>Tobin can help but actually smile at her this time. “Okay, if you’re sure then I’d like to be your friend as well,” she assures her.  </p>
<p>“Alright, deal,” Shirley grins back. “So how about I go and get us a few more drinks?” She suggests. </p>
<p>But, Tobin frowns and shakes her head, “Honestly, I think I’m going to call it a night. I’m tired and just a little too distracted. I’m not being great company tonight,” she admits with an apologetic smile. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Shirley nods with a disappointed smile. “That’s okay. I’ll pay for our drinks and we can go.” She says, standing up from the table. </p>
<p>“No, I’ve got it,” Tobin insists, standing up as well. “Seriously, it’s the least I can do. I’ve been a terrible date and you’ve been so nice,” she tells her and then heads for the bar to pay, not leaving any more room for her to disagree. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Tobin walks into her apartment and sees Allie sitting on the couch watching TV. She goes over to her and sits down next to her, knowing she’s not going to be able to just escape to her room without talking to her about her date tonight. And a part of her actually wants to talk to Allie. She needs to talk to someone about all of this and how she’s feeling. </p>
<p>And if she can’t talk to Christen about it then at least she has her best friend. </p>
<p>“Hey, Harry,” Tobin greets with a small sigh. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Allie smiles back. “Date go that badly?” She asks with a frown, taking in Tobin’s mopey demeanor. </p>
<p>“It was fine,” Tobin shrugs. “Shirley is really nice,” she says honestly. “But, I told her that I couldn’t date her,” she admits. “We are just going to try and be friends,” she says. </p>
<p>“What happened?” Allie asks curiously. She knew that Tobin hadn’t been super excited about going on the date in the first place, but she was hoping that she’d end up having a good time and start to focus on someone other than Christen. </p>
<p>“I kissed Christen tonight,” Tobin admits without beating around the bush. </p>
<p>Allie’s eyes widen, “What?” She questions, completely confused. “How did that happen?” </p>
<p>“She was at the bar and me and Shirley went to have a couple of drinks,” Tobin starts to explain. </p>
<p>“So you ditched your date to go make out with your boss?” Allie questions, with raised brows. “Classy.” </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and sinks into the couch, “It wasn’t my finest moment,” she admits. “But it wasn’t like that. I saw Christen get up to go to the bathroom and I-...I don’t know I couldn’t help myself, I followed her in there-</p>
<p>“Not creepy at all,” Allie interjects sarcastically. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t argue with her though, because she knows that it wasn’t the best thing to do. “I know...I just couldn’t help myself. I just wanted a few moments to see her and talk to her and...next thing I knew I was walking towards the bathroom,” she explains, knowing that she hadn’t really been thinking in that moment. She’d just acted. “And then we talked for a minute and she was jealous of Shirley and I...I told her that I’d rather be there with her and then she just kissed me out of nowhere,” she tells her. “And I-....Oh it was amazing, I didn’t want it to stop,” she admits with a wistful sigh.</p>
<p>Allie just sighs heavily, taking in Tobin’s words. She knows that this is a terrible idea, but she also knows how much Tobin likes Christen and she knows how hard it’s been on her. She knows that she’s not going to just forget about her over night. “So what happened after that?” </p>
<p>“We got interrupted and then she kind of just fled,” she says matter of fact. “I don’t know...I wanted to go somewhere and talk but she told me to finish my date and then next thing I knew she was leaving the bar,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Sounds like you guys really do need to talk,” Allie says knowingly. </p>
<p>“We do,” Tobin nods. “I like her so much Allie. She’s all I think about....I can’t try and be with anyone else right now. All night, I was with this beautiful, amazing girl and all I could think about was Christen,” she says honestly. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she says sadly. </p>
<p>Allie scoots closer to her friend and puts her arm around Tobin, “You know that you guys can’t be together,” she says softly, not trying to upset her but giving her the truth. “This could ruin both of your careers,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin says sadly. “It’s just hard. I know that she wants me too,” she admits. “This whole thing is so fucked up. We’d be awesome together and just because some stupid privileged men took advantage or their workers in the past we can’t be together,” she says, shaking her head angrily. “We are two consenting adults and she’d never take advantage of me like that, but everyone else will think she is,” she sighs. </p>
<p>“I know,” Allie nods. “It’s a terrible situation and I’m truly sorry, Tobin,” she tells her softly. “But, maybe you should try and go talk to her,” Allie suggests. “You guys are going to have to figure some things out,” she says knowingly. “You can’t keep doing  whatever it is you are doing. It’s not good for either of you.” </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin nods. “She didn’t really seem like she wanted to talk though,” she says with another sigh. “I don’t know...I need to go take a walk or something,” she says, rubbing her hands frustratedly over her face. </p>
<p>“Tobin it’s late,” Allie protests. </p>
<p>“I’ll be fine,” Tobin mumbles, before walking out the door without another word. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen just ends up going home after her run-in with Tobin at the bar. She’d contemplated once again, going to a different bar, but she’s feeling a little too anxious to try something new right now. She has a hard time with change and new things anyway, but right now she’s really not feeling like being adventurous. </p>
<p>She knew she probably shouldn’t have gone to the bar in the first place and maybe she told herself that she didn’t think Tobin would be there because she knew that she was on a date, but she also knows a part of her had actually hoped to run into Tobin. She’s just trying to convince herself that wasn’t true. </p>
<p>She can’t remember the last time she’s liked someone like this before and it’s kind of terrifying. She normally has a lot better control over her feelings than she does right now.</p>
<p>And she knew that going to the bar hoping to see Tobin was stupid, and she knew exactly how it would turn out. </p>
<p>Well she didn’t know exactly. She definitely hadn’t expected to practically jump Tobin in the bathroom. </p>
<p>She really does have better control, normally. </p>
<p>Tobin just has some sort of effect on her and she feels like she’s going crazy. </p>
<p>She walks into her kitchen and considers opening up a bottle of wine, but she knows that she probably shouldn’t be drinking more. She’d already have a couple of drinks at the bar and she knows she shouldn’t be dealing with her problems by drinking. Even if it does sound a lot easier. </p>
<p>So instead she starts to make some camomile tea, hoping to relax her a bit and help her to get some sleep.</p>
<p>She takes all of her makeup off and gets changed into some comfortable sweats, wanting to just try and relax for the rest of the night. </p>
<p>But just when she’s about to settle on the couch with her tea, she hears a knock on her door. She feels her heart start racing in her chest because she knows that there’s only one person that could be. Only one person knows where she lives other than her family, but they don’t even live in the same city. </p>
<p>And she really doesn’t feel like talking to her right now. </p>
<p>She considers just ignoring it and hoping that she goes away eventually, but she’s not going to be that rude and she also has a feeling that Tobin won’t go away either way. </p>
<p>But, she really isn’t ready to talk because she has no solutions to their problem and has no idea what to say to her or what they are going to do. She’d really wanted to try and come up with an answer to their problem before they talk. Though, she knows that she can’t just kiss Tobin and then ignore her. She deserves more than that. </p>
<p>And she knows that Tobin probably deserves to be a part of the conversation and the problem solving. She can’t just figure out their situation on her own, even though she’d prefer to. She just doesn’t do well with working with other people in any circumstance. She likes to do things on her own. She doesn’t like depending on or relying on other people to help her. </p>
<p>She finally gets up and walks over to her door and opens it to see Tobin standing there, just like she’d assumed. She’s chewing on her lip nervously and Christen can see in her face how upset she is and how tired she looks. It makes Christen’s heart break a little. “Hi,” Christen greets softly. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Tobin says back just as quietly, her normal big smile nowhere to be found. “I uh...I went for a walk and then...I just ended up here,” she says with an awkward shrug. “I’m sorry.” </p>
<p>“Tobin you live like 10 miles away,” Christen says with wide eyes, ushering for the girl to come in. </p>
<p>“Oh, no...I walked for a while and then next thing I knew I was in a Lyft headed here,” she explains. “I’m sorry for just showing up...” </p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Christen assures her quietly. “Do you want something to drink? I have wine, which I know you don’t really like...or I have scotch and some whiskey....maybe some vodka too,” she starts to ramble. </p>
<p>“I don’t want a drink, Chris,” Tobin says quietly, following her into the kitchen. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods. “Well I made some tea to help me get some sleep. Do you like tea?” </p>
<p>“Not really,” Tobin shakes her head. “I’m okay,” she tells her, a small smile forming on her face at all of Christen’s nervous fussing. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods again. “Come sit with me,” she says, guiding the woman over to her couch and sitting down next to her. </p>
<p>The two sit in silence just looking at each other for a few moments before Tobin sighs and rests her head back against the couch, “What are we going to do Chris?” She asks, defeated. </p>
<p>Christen sighs as well, resting her head back and turning so she’s looking at Tobin as well, “I don’t know,” she says quietly. “We don’t really have any options,” she says honestly. “We can’t do this Tobin, no matter how much we both want to,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin reaches over and grabs Christen’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “This isn’t fair,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a bitter laugh, “Tell me about it. The first time I’ve found someone that I actually like and think that it may be worth letting my guard down a bit, it turns out I can’t have them anyway. I really just don’t think the universe wants me to be happy,” she admits. </p>
<p>“That’s not true,” Tobin frowns, scooting closer to Christen. “You deserve to be happy,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just lets out a humming sound, not feeling very convinced. </p>
<p>“There’s nothing we can do?” Tobin asks hopefully. “There has to be something,” she tries again. </p>
<p>“Not really,” Christen frowns. “I mean, technically there is a way for employees to date. They just have to sign a bunch of papers in HR saying that it’s fully consensual and agreeing to no special treatment and a bunch of other stuff,” she starts to explain. </p>
<p>“So we can do that,” Tobin says quickly. </p>
<p>“Tobin...” Christen says with a sigh. “I really do like you, but like we talked about before...I’m not sure I’m ready for an actual relationship. And signing those papers is not only committing to each other but making it completely official for work and the whole world and I just...I can’t do that right now,” she admits. “Besides, even if we do sign those papers, there will definitely still be some backlash. It doesn’t make everything go away and it won’t still keep people from thinking what they’re going to think and how bad it’d look for me to be dating an assistant,” she tries to explain. “Those papers still aren’t really made for people in our positions. It’s more for people on the same level, or at least close to it. I own the magazine and it’ll still look bad,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“I get that,” Tobin says knowingly. She’s not stupid and she knows how it could look and how people could twist it no matter what. “And I know that you weren’t ready. I’m not trying to push you,” she says softly. </p>
<p>“I know,” Christen smiles, giving her hand a little squeeze. </p>
<p>“So I guess that just brings us back to where we were,” Tobin says with another frown. “We have to stop seeing each other and...stop kissing in bar bathrooms,” she adds with a little smirk. </p>
<p>Christen chuckles and shakes her head, “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to like jump you,” she says, feeling a bit embarrassed. </p>
<p>“I wasn’t complaining,” Tobin grins. </p>
<p>“I really haven’t liked anyone like this in....years or maybe even ever,” she admits, feeling a little vulnerable at the admission. But these are the things that Tobin does to her. She makes her feel safe and like she can tell her anything. “It’s making me do crazy things and not think clearly,” she admits. “It’s kind of frustrating,” she says with a dry chuckle. </p>
<p>“I would say that I’m sorry, but I’m kind of not,” Tobin admits with a grin of her own. “I really like you too, Christen,” she tells her affectionately. “And I have no idea why I’d be the person you choose or the person who makes you open to a relationship again, because honestly I’m not that special, but I’m not going to question it,” she tells her softly. “I’m just really happy that it was me,” she admits. </p>
<p>“You are special, Tobin,” Christen tells her, scooting closer to her. “And honestly, I never thought it’d be someone like you either,” she says with a chuckle. “We are polar opposites and you infuriate me most of the time but...I don’t know, there’s something about you. I just...I can’t stay away,” </p>
<p>Tobin smiles and reaches out caressing Christen’s cheek, “To be fair, you annoy me too, Princess,” Tobin says, making Christen roll her eyes. “But, I can’t stay away from you either. We may be opposites but I think we’re perfect together,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help herself anymore, she leans in and presses her lips against Tobin’s. Again, she’s finding herself unable to resist Tobin and unable to control her urges. </p>
<p>After a moment, Tobin pulls away with a smile, “You keep saying we can’t do this and then you keep kissing me,” she says with a mischievous look in her eye. </p>
<p>Christen doesn’t really pick up on her joking through and pulls away looking mortified, “I’m sorry,” she says, shaking her head and burying her face in her hands. “God, I’m awful and you are right. I’m just playing with your emotions,” she says in a panic. “I’m sorry, I just...I couldn’t help it,” she admits quietly. </p>
<p>“Hey no,” Tobin tries to sooth, scooting closer and putting an arm around Christen. “I know how you feel,” she tells her in a firm voice. “And I know that this is a crappy situation,” she adds. “And I’m the one who keeps showing up uninvited and I’m the one who followed you into the bathroom. I’m not innocent here,” she says. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help but smiles as she pulls her hands away from her face. “You have been a little stalker-ish,” she jokes. </p>
<p>Tobin laughs and shakes her head. “I guess you make me do crazy things too,” she says, repeating Christen’s words. </p>
<p>Christen sighs and leans into Tobin, cuddling into her side. She grabs Tobin’s other hand and starts to mindlessly play with her fingers, “I missed you,” she says softly. </p>
<p>“I missed you too,” Tobin says back, placing a kiss on top of Christen’s head. “Even if we did a poor job of actually staying away from each other,” she chuckles. </p>
<p>“I’m always such a perfectionist too,” Christen says with a smirk. “I usually always succeed in the things I do.” </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes but grins widely, “Okay, Princess,” she says exaggeratedly. “I guess we can’t all be perfect,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen just ignores her and continues to savor the feeling of being in Tobin’s hold. “I missed these hands,” she says, tracing her fingers lightly over Tobin’s palms. “They’re so strong but soft and I love feeling them on me,” she admits softly. </p>
<p>“Chris...” Tobin groans, feeling herself start to get a little worked up at the comment. </p>
<p>Christen just giggles a bit innocently and looks up at Tobin, knowing exactly what she’s doing. “I’m just being honest,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>Tobin grins at her and leans forward, pressing their lips together once again. “I missed everything about you,” Tobin reveals. “Your eyes, your lips...” she says, kissing them once again. “Especially your ass,” she adds with a smirk, reaching around to give her ass a little pinch. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and moves to where she’s straddling Tobin. She gives her a smile as she feels Tobin’s hands slide back to her ass. But then her face turns hesitant, knowing exactly where this is going. “This is really not a good idea,” she says though she makes no move to stop what she’s doing. Instead, she tangles her fingers in Tobin’s hair, pulling gently, tilting Tobin’s head up so she’s looking at her.</p>
<p>“I’ve never been one to make good choices,” Tobin shrugs with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes with a smile and instead of arguing she just surges forward, kissing Tobin desperately. </p>
<p>She knows it’s a bad idea, but she can’t help herself.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>A couple of hours later, the two of them are just lounging on the couch, still fully naked and fully sated. Christen has her head lying on Tobin’s chest, and Tobin’s fingers are gently combing through Christen’s curly hair. </p>
<p>They both feel happier than they have in awhile. </p>
<p>Though they know that they’re just stalling and prolonging the inevitable. </p>
<p>Tobin reaches out and grabs Christen’s tea mug off the coffee table and takes a sip, making Christen frown. “That’s mine,” she pouts. “You said you don’t even like tea,” she reminds her, as she sits up a bit and takes the mug from Tobin, taking a sip herself. </p>
<p>“I just wanted to try it,” Tobin shrugs with a grin. </p>
<p>“And?” </p>
<p>“It’s gross,” she says, wrinkling her nose. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and takes another drink before passing it back over to Tobin to sit back down on the table. </p>
<p>“It’s getting late,” Tobin says hesitantly. “I should probably go,” she adds softly. </p>
<p>Christen sits up and looks down at Tobin, chewing on her lip. “You can stay if you want,” she says with a bit of hesitation. They both know that Tobin shouldn’t stay, but they both want her to. </p>
<p>“Are you sure?” Tobin asks with a small frown. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen answers honestly. </p>
<p>“I’ll stay if you want me to,” Tobin tells her, reaching up and caressing Christen’s cheek. </p>
<p>“Do you want to stay?” Christen turns the question around. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin answers truthfully. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods with finality. </p>
<p>Christen lies back down and makes herself comfortable on Tobin’s chest again, nuzzling against her neck. </p>
<p>Tobin, however, reaches over for the tea again, taking a sip and trying not to spill it on Christen’s head.</p>
<p>“Tobin!” Christen says, trying to sound firm, but ends up giggling. “You said you didn’t even like it,” she says with another pout. “I can make you your own,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins and takes another sip. “I want yours,” she says simply. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, “I take back my answer. I want you to leave,” she says, trying to sound serious but her smile gives her away. </p>
<p>“Lies,” Tobin smiles, taking another sip. </p>
<p>Christen doesn’t argue with her and props herself up on her arm to look down at Tobin, still drinking her tea. “It helps me sleep,” she tells her. “Don’t drink it all,” she adds, grabbing the mug back from Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin just grabs it back out of Christen’s hands and sets it back down on the coffee table. “I can think of other ways to help you get to sleep,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Christen challenges. </p>
<p>“Fuck you hard, over and over again until you can’t take it anymore,” she replies, making Christen’s eyes darken. </p>
<p>Christen leans down and presses a searing kiss to Tobin’s lips, leaving them both breathless. “Do it,” she breathes out against the girl’s lips. </p>
<p>Without another word, Tobin is up off the couch, and picking Christen up bridal style, making the girl gasp at her quick movements. She wraps her arms around Tobin’s neck and grins at her. “So strong,” she admires, letting one of her fingers run down Tobin’s bicep. She runs her finger back up Tobin’s arm and then her neck before grabbing her face and pulling her down into a kiss. “You’re so sexy,” she mumbles against her lips. “Take me to bed and fuck me,” she requests. </p>
<p>Tobin doesn’t waste anymore time before she’s running towards Christen’s room. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin wakes up the next morning and immediately smiles, snuggling into the pillow, smelling Christen all around her. She honestly hadn’t thought she’d ever get to be with Christen again so she’s going to cherish every moment that she can. Just like she had last night. She’d taken her time with Christen, savoring every touch, taste and smell of the other woman. </p>
<p>It’d been perfect. </p>
<p>She finally opens her eyes and isn’t surprised to see that Christen is already out of bed. Just once, she’d like to actually wake up to Christen in her arms, but she knows she’d have to wake up at an ungodly hour for that to happen. </p>
<p>Or maybe one day she can convince Christen to sleep in just a little longer. </p>
<p>She’s not sure which would be easier.</p>
<p>With a yawn, she sits up and looks around the room until she spots her t-shirt and throws it on as well as her boxer briefs, before making her way out of the bedroom. She makes her way through the kitchen and living room and finally spots Christen out on the balcony sitting on the ground with a bunch of candles around her. </p>
<p>She decides to leave her be for a few more moments and goes into the kitchen to start some coffee, knowing that Christen will want it when she finishes up outside. She smiles to herself when she has no trouble finding the coffee or the mugs in Christen’s kitchen, already knowing where everything is for the most part. She’s been here enough times now and honestly she hopes it’s not the last. </p>
<p>As soon as she gets the pot started, she heads outside, trying to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to disturb Christen. She probably should just leave her alone, but she can’t seem to stay away from her, even if it’s just in the next room. She just wants to watch Christen, because she looks so peaceful right now and Tobin can’t keep her eyes off of her. </p>
<p>However, Christen hears her because she gets a little smile on her face, though she keeps her eyes closed. </p>
<p>“Morning,” Tobin grins a bit shyly when she realizes that Christen knows she’s out there.</p>
<p>“Morning,” Christen responds in a calm tone, her voice a little raspy. </p>
<p>Tobin loves the sound of Christen’s voice. It’s always so calm and soothing. Even at work when she can tell that Christen is stressed out, she somehow manages to sound so calm and Tobin loves it. She could listen to it all day long.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Meditating,” Christen answers simply, before opening her eyes to finally look at Tobin. </p>
<p>“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have interrupted you,” Tobin says with an embarrassed smile. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Christen assures her. “I was just about done anyway,” she says, standing up from her spot. </p>
<p>“Do you want me to let you finish?” Tobin asks curiously. “Or did I totally ruin the vibe or whatever?” </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and shakes her head, “Tobin, it’s fine,” she assures her once again. “Come on, I’m going to make some coffee,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Oh, I already started some,” Tobin informs her with a smile. </p>
<p>Christen just smiles back at her and leads her back into the condo, “Thank you,” she says softly, making her way into the kitchen. She goes to pull some coffee mugs down and sees them already sitting out on the counter as well as her coconut milk, making her smile up at Tobin again.</p>
<p>She just reaches for them and starts to pour herself and Tobin some coffee. </p>
<p>“So...” Tobin says, just watching Christen make their coffee. “Should we talk about last night?” She asks a bit hesitantly. She doesn’t want to ruin anything or upset Christen, but she also knows that they have to talk about it and they have to figure something out. She can’t just live like this with the back and forth and never really knowing what’s going on with them. </p>
<p>Christen nods, but continues stirring her coffee, not looking up at Tobin. “I suppose we should,” she says, sounding like she’s dreading it just as much as Tobin. </p>
<p>“I want to be with you Christen, and I know you aren’t ready for that, but...I can’t just keep doing this,” she admits. “As hard as it’s going to be I think we either have to be together or we need to stop seeing each other all together,” she explains, though that’s the last thing she wants to do. “Except at work obviously,” she mumbles with a small shrug.</p>
<p>Christen nods, hearing and understanding every word that Tobin is saying. She moves around the kitchen island and sits down on the stool next to Tobin, handing her one of the mugs of coffee. “I hear you,” she affirms. “And you’re right,” she agrees. “I know we can’t keep doing this,” she says honestly. “I just...for the first time in awhile I feel so out of control and it’s terrifying,” she admits. “I don’t have a solution except for ending this but I also don’t want to do that,” she says, looking up to meet Tobin’s eyes. </p>
<p>“Can’t we just....I don’t know keep seeing each other like this and just not tell people at work?” Tobin asks knowing that it’s probably not the smartest idea, but it’s really all that she can come up with right now. And the only option they have that would make her happy. </p>
<p>Christen looks at Tobin a bit thoughtfully for a moment, “I don’t really think that would work,” she says with a small frown. “These things always get out,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Maybe,” Tobin shrugs. “But I won’t tell anyone and you won’t tell anyone. Nobody else has to know,” she says. “We can be extra careful,” she adds with hopeful eyes. </p>
<p>“Tobin...I don’t know,” Christen says wearily. “This is kind of a dangerous game,” she says quietly. “If people find out about this I could lose everything,” she tells her, hoping that she understands how real this all is and what is at risk. “And the secrecy and lying, could just make it worse.” </p>
<p>Tobin nods, understanding. “Look, I’m not going to make you do anything that you aren’t comfortable with but...I don’t want to lose you and if this is the only way...” </p>
<p>“Tobin do you really want to do that? You deserve to be happy and to date someone who you can actually go out with in public and talk to your friends about. Like Shirley,” she says quietly.  </p>
<p>“I don’t want Shirley,” Tobin tells her. “I already ended that,” she says, making Christen look up at her in surprise. </p>
<p>“You don’t deserve whatever this is Tobin and all the consequences that this could have,” Christen tries to say. “We couldn’t have a real relationship. It’d just be a lot of sneaking around and secrets and constantly fearing if anyone knows about it.” She says sadly. “You deserve better than that.” </p>
<p>“Christen I just want you. I don’t care how that comes,” she says firmly. “It’ll be hard and of course, I'd prefer if I could take you out and show you off,” she says with a small smile. “But I’d rather have this than not having you at all,” she says, hoping to convince Christen. </p>
<p>“I just want you to be happy,” Christen says softly. </p>
<p>“You make me happy,” Tobin says, reaching out and grabbing Christen’s hand. </p>
<p>“Tobin...I still don’t even know if I’m ready for this,” she admits quietly. “I like you and you make me feel like I could be ready and I could try but...I just don’t know if I’m there yet,” she explains. She looks back down at her coffee mug and starts picking at it, debating on how much she wants to tell Tobin. She has a really hard time talking about her past and nobody really knows much about it except for her family. </p>
<p>But she wants Tobin to know. She’s just not sure she’s ready to tell it. </p>
<p>“I was....I was in a really bad relationship a few years back. He was controlling and...” she starts to say, but then stops, shaking her head. “He didn’t treat me well,” she reveals, deciding to keep it vague. It’s a lot easier than actually talking about it. She can already feel her chest tightening, just thinking about him. </p>
<p>Tobin can tell that Christen isn’t telling her the full story, but she also doesn’t want to push her, so she just gives her a comforting smile, reaching out and placing a hand on Christen’s back. She knows that Christen will tell her when she’s ready and honestly, she’s surprised she’s gotten this much out of her. She seems to be a pretty tightly closed book. “I would never hurt you,” Tobin tells her. </p>
<p>“I know that,” Christen says, giving Tobin a reassuring smile. “Well, I know that deep down, but...I also didn’t think he would hurt me either. I trusted him and...</p>
<p>“I get it,” Tobin assures her, not wanting to make her continue to talk about something she clearly doesn’t really want to talk about. “We can go as slowly as you want, okay?”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Christen says softly. She stands up from her stool and steps closer to Tobin, wrapping her arms around her neck and pulling her into a hug. </p>
<p>Tobin wraps her arms securely around Christen’s waist and pulls her as close as she can to her body. She buries her face in Christen’s neck and nuzzles her nose against her, loving feeling this close to her. She lets out a relieved breath, happy that this isn’t going to be the last time she gets to hold Christen like this, though she’s still going to savor each second. </p>
<p>“Tobin...” Christen says after a moment, pulling away from the hug. </p>
<p>The look she’s giving Tobin, makes her heart race in her chest a bit, fearing she’s going to change her mind about all of this. </p>
<p>“You can’t tell anyone about this,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>“I know-</p>
<p>“No, I mean, nobody,” Christen reiterates. “That includes your friends,” she says. “Especially Alex.” She informs her. “I know that they’re your friends and you trust them, but we can’t risk it. Especially since Alex works for me,” she explains. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns, but then nods her head. It’s going to be hard keeping something like this from them, because they tell each other everything but she knows that it’s probably a safer bet. “Yeah, you’re right. I promise, I won’t tell them, okay?” She says, looking Christen in the eye, letting her know that she’s serious. </p>
<p>“Okay, thank you,” Christen nods, taking her word for it. She still has a bit of a problem putting all of her trust in someone, but she really wants to try and trust Tobin. And a part of her is telling her to stop being stupid and that she can’t actually trust anyone, especially not someone she barely knows. But the other half of her is trying to keep that part quiet. </p>
<p>Christen places a soft kiss on Tobin’s lips before she pulls away from the embrace completely. </p>
<p>“I need to get ready for work,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin grimaces and lets out a groan, having fully forgotten that today is a work day. “I just want to spend the day with you,” she pouts. </p>
<p>Christen smiles at her as she takes a sip of her forgotten coffee, that’s now a little cold. “That would be amazing, but we can’t,” she informs her with a raised brow. “You need to get ready as well so you’re not late,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>“Yes ma’am,” Tobin salutes. “You’re hot when you’re all bossy,” she smirks, standing up and walking over to Christen, wrapping her arms around her waist. </p>
<p>Christen grins and tilts her head to the side when she feels Tobin’s lips on her neck. “Tobin,” she warns, though she’s not exactly pushing her away. “We don’t have time for this,” she says, finally pushing gently at Tobin’s chest. </p>
<p>Tobin pouts at her, but let’s Christen go. “Aren’t you the boss? Couldn’t you just skip one day?” </p>
<p>Christen turns to look at her unimpressed, “I could, if I really wanted to,” Christen nods, “But I have a lot of work to do and even if I did, I couldn’t get you off for the day,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>“I don’t think you have any trouble getting me off,” Tobin winks. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, “I guess I set myself up for that one,” she grumbles. “But, come on no special treatment, remember?” She reminds her, pulling Tobin towards the bedroom so they can begin to get ready. “And while we’re on the subject of work, we have to be really careful Tobin,” she says, giving the girl a stern look. </p>
<p>“Hey don’t look at me. You’re the one who needs to contain those heart eyes,” Tobin says with a chuckle. </p>
<p>“Heart eyes? What are you talking about?” Christen asks, looking at her with furrowed brows. </p>
<p>Tobin just gives her a cheeky grin. “I’ve seen you looking at me at work,” she reveals. </p>
<p>Christen’s eyes widen and she looks embarrassed. “I haven’t-...I...</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Tobin assures her. “I look at you too,” she admits. “You’re very sexy waltzing around the place telling everyone what to do,” she informs her. “It’s hard not to look,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Okay well you’re going to have to cut that out,” Christen says with a smile. </p>
<p>“I’ll try,” Tobin says. “But don’t worry, everyone looks at you like that so it wouldn’t be suspicious,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Christen asks, confused. </p>
<p>“Pretty much everyone there has a crush on you,” she says matter of fact. </p>
<p>“That’s not true,” Christen denies. </p>
<p>Tobin shrugs, “It is,” she says with a nod. “And I don’t blame them, you’re super sexy. Everyone talks about it all the time. Even little Mal has a crush on you,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“She does not!” Christen says with wide eyes. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, “She does! She told me herself,” she reveals. “But, she also just really idolizes you so I think it’s more of a hero kind of crush than a ‘I want to fuck her’ kind of crush,” she explains. “But, I’m the only one that gets to do that anyway,” Tobin then says. </p>
<p>“You think so?” Christen challenges. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns for a moment and then catches the smirk on Christen’s face. “I know so,” she says confidently. “There’d be no point, anyway. Nobody can make you feel as good as I do,” she says, wrapping her arms around Christen again. “Nobody can make you come as hard as I do,” she rasps into Christen’s ear. </p>
<p>“Tobin...” Christen groans, tangling her fingers into Tobin’s hair to keep her in place as she starts to kiss her neck. “Fuck.” </p>
<p>“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Tobin retorts with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes again and pushes Tobin away, “You’re so annoying,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and tries to lean back down, but Christen pushes her away again, making Tobin pout, “Hey...” </p>
<p>“Nope, you ruined the mood with your smartass mouth,” Christen responds with a grin, stepping away from Tobin. “But seriously, get ready,” she then says in a firm voice. </p>
<p>“You speaking to me in that bossy tone is not helping the situation,” Tobin informs her. </p>
<p>Christen just smirks at her and disappears into the bathroom so she can start to get ready. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin ends up going with Alex to meet up with Allie during their lunch break today. She hadn’t really wanted to wander too far from the office the past few days, in case Ashlyn needed her, but she knows she was just being paranoid. She gets a full hour lunch break and knows that Ashlyn wouldn’t punish her for taking it. </p>
<p>She just really wants to do well and impress Ashlyn. </p>
<p>But she’d been in a pretty good mood today and had let Alex convince her. </p>
<p>So now she’s sitting outside at a table on the patio at one of their favorite cafe’s, not too far from the office.  </p>
<p>“So what happened to you last night?” Allie asks curiously. “I was worried about you. You could have text me or something to at least let me know you’re alive,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns back at her, feeling a bit guilty for that. She knows that Allie was probably worried sick after she left so late last night. But she’d been pretty preoccupied and hadn’t really thought about it at the time. “I’m sorry,” she says sincerely.  </p>
<p>“Did you go talk to Christen?” She asks curiously, making Alex look over at her with furrowed brows. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she quickly shakes her head, trying to come up with something fast. “Uh no....” she says, shifting a bit uncomfortably. “I uh...I just went for a walk to clear my head a little and then went into a bar to have some drinks,” she lies. </p>
<p>“You never came home,” Allie frowns. </p>
<p>“Yeah I...I just went home with some girl,” she shrugs, hoping to sound more convincing than she feels she does. </p>
<p>And she supposes Allie believes her because her face lights up with a big grin. “Okay, get it Harry,” she smirks, reaching over to nudge the girl. “I suppose I’ll let you off the hook for not texting me then,” she adds. </p>
<p>“That’s really not safe, Tobin,” Alex frowns. “You shouldn’t just go home with strangers, and who knows what kind of diseases she could have,” she adds, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>“I’m fine, mom,” Tobin says, with a sigh. </p>
<p>“Yeah, let her live a little,” Allie says, still smiling at Tobin. “Besides, you should be happy that she’s not still fucking your boss,” she points out to Alex. </p>
<p>Tobin chokes a bit on her sandwich at the mention of Christen, making her friends look over at her in concern. But she waves them off and takes a sip of her water, “Just swallowed wrong,” she mumbles. </p>
<p>Keeping this from them is going to be even harder than she thought it would be. </p>
<p>“I am happy about that,” Alex says honestly. “I mean, I’m sorry that you were upset about it Tobin, but that would have been a nightmare,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods her head, still chugging her water, not really knowing what to say to them. She can’t get the images out of her head from last night, where she was doing exactly that, fucking their boss.</p>
<p>“Anyway, I don’t condone you to just hook up with random’s all the time, but I’m glad you got back out there and had some fun,” Allie tells her. “I think it’ll help you get your mind off of Christen,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” is all Tobin can say.</p>
<p>“She’ll get over it soon enough,” Alex comments with a small shrug. “Christen isn’t your type anyway,” she adds. </p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Tobin asks, confused. Honestly, she doesn’t even know what her type is so she’s not sure how Alex knows what it is. </p>
<p>“For one, she’s way too old and mature for you,” Alex points out. “You guys are at different points in your life,” she explains. </p>
<p>“She’s not that old,” Tobin frowns. Honestly, she hasn’t thought much about their age gap because it hasn't’ come up much. But she can’t help but feel that maybe Alex has a point. Christen has her life together, she’s responsible and has a good job, making great money. She’s independent and seems to know exactly what she wants out of life. </p>
<p>Tobin on the other hand is young and irresponsible and can’t seem to hold on to a job to save her life. She barely even makes enough money to pay for her half of the bills she shares with Allie. And maybe she has an idea of what she wants, but she really still hasn’t figured all of that out yet.</p>
<p>Though, she’s really trying. </p>
<p>And maybe being with someone older and more put together will help her to get her own life together. </p>
<p>She just hopes that Christen won’t get annoyed with her or think she’s just a young dumb kid or something. </p>
<p>“Plus, she’s just really serious and uptight. I don’t know, you just seem like you should be with someone that’s fun and carefree and likes to go on adventures and do stupid stuff with you,” Alex shrugs. </p>
<p>“She’s fun,” Tobin argues, but then realizes that she probably shouldn’t be trying to defend her relationship with Christen. She needs them to believe that it’s over. But she also has a hard time just listening to Alex name off all the reasons they shouldn’t be together, without saying something. </p>
<p>“I thought you liked, Christen?” Allie asks with a frown, looking over at Alex. </p>
<p>“I do,” Alex nods. “As a boss,” she adds. “She’s so young and she’s accomplished so much and overcome a lot as a woman journalist. Honestly, she’s kind of my role model and I really hope to be as successful as she is one day,” she tells them, which kind of surprises Tobin. She hadn’t realized how much Alex looked up to her. “Which is also why I don’t want my best friend fucking her. It’s weird,” she adds with a grimace. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, feeling even more uncomfortable with the conversation. “Well it’s over so you don’t have to worry about me fucking your role model or whatever,” Tobin says, rolling her eyes. “I should probably start heading back to work,” she decides, starting to gather up all of her trash. </p>
<p>“We still have half an hour,” Alex says with a frown. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I just have a lot of work I’d like to try and get done,” she informs them. “You can stay, I can walk back alone,” she says, giving Alex a smile. “I’ll see you back at work,” she then tells her. </p>
<p>“Look at our little Harry being responsible,” Allie praises, looking at her like a proud mom. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes, but smiles at her best friend, “I’ll see you at home tonight,” she tells her, before leaving the cafe. </p>
<p>She’s really going to have to work on how to be around her friends with this big secret. She’s never kept anything from them before and she knows it’s going to be really difficult. She’s never been good at keeping secrets anyway, especially from her friends though. She’s worried they’re going to see right through her and figure out something is going on. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Hey Tobs, are you doing okay?” Alex asks, walking over to Tobin’s desk, where she sees her doing something on her computer. </p>
<p>“Hmm?” Tobin asks absentmindedly, barely registering Alex’s presence. “Oh yeah,” she nods. “Just finalizing some details for some clothes that Ashlyn wants to use for a shoot,” she says, still not looking up from her computer. “Why?” She then asks, wondering why Alex is checking up on her. </p>
<p>“Just making sure,” Alex says with a small shrug. “You seemed off at lunch and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. If you need help with something you can always ask me,” she tells her. “Or you can ask Ashlyn. She’s not going to fire you for asking questions,” she assures her. </p>
<p>“Oh, no, I’m good,” she tells her. “It’s not work related,” she tells her, but then winces because now Alex is going to know that something is going on. </p>
<p>“So what is it?” She questions curiously. </p>
<p>And at that moment, Christen walks across the office floor and Alex doesn’t miss the way Tobin’s eyes follow her around. She frowns, looking from Christen and back to Tobin, who is still staring at the woman. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Alex snaps, making Tobin pull her gaze away from Christen. </p>
<p>“What?” Tobin asks annoyed. </p>
<p>“What is going on with you?” Alex questions suspiciously. </p>
<p>“Nothing,” Tobin denies, turning her attention back to her computer. </p>
<p>“Yeah, okay,” Alex says sarcastically, obviously not believing her. “You can talk to me, you know?” She then says in a softer voice. “I know I was hard on you about Christen,” she says, making Tobin’s head snap up and look around the office to make sure nobody was listening to them. “And I’m sorry, I can see how much you liked her and I need to be more sensitive to that.” She tells her sincerely. “I’m here for whatever you need. I just want you to be able to move on from her.” </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and looks away from her computer to look at Alex, “I’m fine. Really,” she tries to convince her. “I’m just a little stressed, I guess. I mean, I’m handling everything but it’s still a lot,” she says, which isn’t a complete lie. Work has been keeping her pretty busy, between how much she has to do and still trying to figure out exactly how to do a lot of the things. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Alex nods, not really accepting the answer, but not wanting to push Tobin until she’s upset. “Well, I need to go try and catch Christen while she’s not busy,” she says, as she watches Christen walk back into her office. </p>
<p>“Christen? Why do you need to talk to her?” Tobin asks, looking back up at Alex with slight panic.</p>
<p>Alex just furrows her brows. “Because she’s my boss and I have to check in with her pretty regularly about articles and things,” Alex says slowly, not really sure why Tobin is so curious. </p>
<p>“Oh, right,” Tobin blushes, feeling a bit embarrassed. </p>
<p>She really needs to get a grip. </p>
<p>Alex just gives her a weary look, before walking towards Christen’s office. </p>
<p>She walks inside and sees the woman typing on her phone, so she knocks softly on the open door, before walking fully inside, not wanting to just barge in or startle the girl. </p>
<p>“Hey Alex,” Christen says, glancing up at the girl and then looking back down at her phone. “What’s up?” She asks, finishing her message and then putting her phone down on her desk to give Alex her full attention. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Alex greets, sitting down in the chair across from her. “I just wanted to check in with you about my article,” she starts to say. </p>
<p>“Yeah? Are you having any trouble?” Christen asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Uh no, not really,” she tells her. “But, I know we were writing about the WNBA and equal pay for them, but I was thinking that maybe we could expand it to all women’s sports. None of them get the recognition or the money that they deserve,” she starts to explain. </p>
<p>“I agree,” Christen nods, knowingly. “However, I think it’ll be too vague if you write about women’s sports as a whole,” she tells her. “You were supposed to talk to some WNBA players and the association for quotes,” she reminds her.</p>
<p>“Yes, and I have some interviews already lined up,” she nods. “Maybe we could do a whole series though. We could focus on a different sport each week and have an article for each. I’d really like to involve women’s soccer in this as well,” she explains to her. “There’s quite a few of us here that played and the sport is important to us,” she tells her. “Honestly, I would have gone pro if it would have been a better opportunity but they barely get paid anything and they aren’t getting facilities and the equipment that they need,” she explains. </p>
<p>This gets Christen’s attention and she nods. “Yeah, I don’t even think most people know that there is a professional women’s soccer league,” she says with a frown. She’d played soccer through college and had considered going pro as well, but that dream had also been ripped away from her. </p>
<p>But for other reasons. </p>
<p>“They don’t,” Alex confirms. “But they just won another World Cup and there is a lot of attention on them right now. I think it’s a good time to do this. I mean, I know that we already did a whole feature on the team and their win, but I think we should bring attention to the fact that they barely make enough money to even pay rent,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Sounds like you’d rather focus on this and put the WNBA story on the back burner,” Christen points out with a raised brow. </p>
<p>Alex just gives her a shrug, “I definitely want to do the wnba story and I definitely think they deserve it, but I also think that this would be a perfect time to put some spotlight on the USWNT. They just got back from their win and they’re all over the news right now. I think people would be more receptive to it and taking action,” she explains. “We can save the WNBA story for when their season starts,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Alright, if you think you can get everything together in time, we can do this one,” Christen confirms. “But, I need you to make a real plan and have everything to me by Monday,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Alex nods, already thinking over everything that she needs to do. It’s short notice for sure, but she really thinks that she can pull it off. “Yes, I can do that,” she confirms. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods. “If I don’t think you have enough by Monday then we’re going to have to save it for another issue,” she tells her. “You don’t need to half ass their story just because you want it done now,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>“No, I would never. I promise,” she assures her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods, satisfied. </p>
<p>“Did you know that Tobin played professionally?” Alex asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen sits up a bit straighter in her chair and looks at Alex with a bit of a suspicious look. “No, I did not,” she confirms. </p>
<p>“I guess you don’t know much about her,” Alex comments airily. </p>
<p>Christen just raises a brow at her, growing a bit suspicious at Alex’s tone, “Why would I know things about Tobin?” She asks carefully.</p>
<p>Alex holds Christen’s stare for a few moments, before just shrugging her shoulders, “I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d like to know your employee’s,” she says casually. “Or you know, you played soccer in college. I thought maybe you just kept up with it,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen just looks at her a bit skeptically. “Well, I didn’t know that,” she confirms once again, not really sure what else to say. Honestly she wants to ask what happened and why she doesn’t play anymore or why she didn’t know this about Tobin. But, she also realizes that’s something she can just talk to Tobin about, and not Alex. </p>
<p>“Maybe I could get some quotes from her,” Alex says. “She was on the national team for awhile as well. Won a World Cup,” she informs the woman. </p>
<p>Christen’s brows raise at that. How had she not known that? </p>
<p>“Anyway, I’ll get right on this and have everything to you by Monday,” she says, before standing up out of her chair. </p>
<p>Christen just nods absentmindedly as she watches Alex walk out the door. Her eyes then find Tobin across the floor and sees her working on her computer. She wants to go and talk to Tobin about the odd conversation that she’d had with Alex, but she knows that’ll just look suspicious if she runs and talks to her right after Alex leaves. </p>
<p>So with a sigh, she wiggles her mouse, bringing her computer to life and trying to find something to distract her for now. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>And she waits a decent amount of time, but she can’t go much longer without talking to Tobin. Her anxiety over the whole weird conversation with Alex has made it almost impossible for her to focus on doing any sort of work. So she walks over to her office door and scans the floor. Tobin is still at her computer and she notices that Ashlyn isn’t inside of her office and she also notices that Alex isn’t at her desk either. </p>
<p>It’s probably the best chance she’s going to have today to talk to Tobin without raising any suspicions. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” she calls, making the woman’s head snap up and look across the room at her. </p>
<p>“Yeah?” Tobin questions with wide eyes, standing up from her chair like she’s in trouble. </p>
<p>“Where’s Ashlyn?” Christen asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Oh, she had a meeting with a designer,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Okay, well can I talk to you about the next shoot? Maybe you can answer my questions,” she says, using her stern ‘work’ voice. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods quickly and practically scurries across the floor over to Christen. She follows her into her office and raises a brow when she notices Christen closing the door behind them. “Um, what did you need to know? I have a few details but- </p>
<p>“Tobin, I don’t need to talk about the photo shoot,” Christen says with a sigh, walking around her desk and sitting down in her office chair. “Sit,” she commands, pointing to the chair across from her desk. </p>
<p>Tobin obediently sits down. “Am I in trouble?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know, maybe,” Christen says, still unsure as she folds her arms across her chest. “Did you tell Alex about us?” She questions narrowing her eyes. </p>
<p>“What? No!” Tobin says quickly. “Well...I mean-</p>
<p>“Tobin!” Christen says exasperatedly. </p>
<p>“No! Wait,” Tobin says, before she can start lecturing her. “I told her and Allie about us when I first found out that you were going to be my boss,” she starts to explain. “And then I told them that it was over, because I thought that it was,” she tells her. “I didn’t tell them we’re seeing each other again. They think it’s over, I swear,” she promises. </p>
<p>Christen sits back in her chair and sighs. “You shouldn’t have told them at all,” she points out. </p>
<p>“They’re my best friends,” she says with a frown. “We tell each other everything.” </p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, “Yeah well this is different. Alex is my employee and she knows that we were sleeping together. She could say something and-</p>
<p>“She won’t,” Tobin jumps in. “I swear, she won’t say anything,” she says, trying to convince her that it’s true. “And besides, she doesn’t know that we’re still dating. I told her it was over. There would be no point in her saying anything,” she assures her. “Why are you asking anyway?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Because she brought you up in conversation earlier and it was just an odd interaction.” She informs her. “It’s like she wanted me to know that she knew, without actually saying it,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Well, I’m sorry about that,” Tobin frowns. “She wasn’t very happy when she found out-</p>
<p>“Obviously,” Christen rolls her eyes. </p>
<p>“I really didn’t think she’d say anything to you and I’ll talk to her about it,” she assures Christen. </p>
<p>“You can’t talk to her about it,” Christen points out. “Because then she will know that I told you about it and it’ll just look suspicious,” she explains. “Just try not to talk about me at all when you are around her, okay?” </p>
<p>“That’ll be hard,” Tobin says with a smile. “I like talking about you,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen says in a warning tone, obviously not in the mood for her jokes right now or her flirting. </p>
<p>“Sorry,” Tobin apologizes. “But, I swear, I haven’t said anything. The last thing we talked about, I told them it was definitely over,” she says once again, trying to ease Christen’s worries a bit. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen sighs. She puts her elbows on the desk and buries her face in her hands. “Tobin, this is already making me really anxious and it hasn’t even been a full day,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, understanding, “I know. I’m sorry,” she frowns. “I don’t want you to constantly worry about this,” she says sincerely. </p>
<p>“Yeah, well I think that I’m going to,” she says, looking up at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows and just studies Christen for a few moments. “You don’t-....you don’t want to end this do you?” She questions, feeling her chest start to tighten at the thought of it. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a heavy sigh, which just makes Tobin’s heart race faster in her chest. “No, I don’t,” she finally says honestly. “I know that this is really stupid and I’m risking everything here, but no. I don’t want to go back to ignoring my feelings for you,” she says.</p>
<p>A small smile appears on Tobin’s face and she lets out a relieved sigh. “Good,” she nods. “I don’t want that either,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“I’m just kind of worried about your friends,” Christen tells her honestly. “I don’t really know what Alex was angling for but it was just a really weird conversation,” she tells her. “I don’t need her blackmailing me or trying to bring me down or something,” she explains. </p>
<p>Tobin just furrows her brows, “Alex would never do that,” she assures her, though Christen isn’t really convinced. “You are like her hero. I know that she can be a little intense sometimes, but she’d never want to ruin your career,” she tries to explain to her. “Honestly, she probably would be more upset with me possibly ruining your career than she would be with you hurting me or something.” She says with a small frown. </p>
<p>“I doubt that’s true,” Christen assures her. “But either way, you just need to watch what you say when you are around her, okay?” </p>
<p>“Okay, I promise,” Tobin nods. “Are you still mad at me?” She questions with a small pout. </p>
<p>“A little,” Christen shrugs, trying to ignore the puppy dog eyes that Tobin is giving her. </p>
<p>“Can I make it better?” Tobin asks with a small smirk, standing up from her chair and walking over to Christen. She starts to lean down to kiss Christen’s neck, but Christen pushes her away. </p>
<p>“Not at work, Tobin,” she tells her firmly. </p>
<p>“The door is closed,” Tobin frowns. </p>
<p>“We just need to keep it professional no matter what. If we start sneaking around or doing things when we think nobody is watching, then we’re going to accidentally slip up and get caught,” she explains. “We just need to keep it professional here, okay?” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, moving back around the desk. “I just want you to be comfortable,” she assures her with a smile. “Even if it is hard for me to keep my hands off of you,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, but lets a small smile appear on her face. </p>
<p>“Can I come over tonight?” Tobin asks with her puppy dog eyes again. </p>
<p>Christen just raises a brow at her, trying to still be stern and not wanting to let her off the hook so easily. </p>
<p>“You know you want me to,” Tobin says confidently. </p>
<p>“Is that so?” Christen challenges. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin answers simply. </p>
<p>Christen keeps her face stern for a moment, her eyes narrowed as she stares off with Tobin. But her resolve fades and she just rolls her eyes at herself, because she knows that Tobin is right. “Fine,” she relents, trying to act annoyed, but Tobin doesn’t miss the little smile on her face. </p>
<p>“Great, I’ll see you tonight,” Tobin smiles before opening her office door and walking out. </p>
<p>When she does she just about collides with Alex. </p>
<p>“Oh hi,” Tobin says a bit nervously, not expecting to run into the woman they’ve just been talking about. </p>
<p>Alex’s eyes move from Tobin to Christen’s office door, that she’d just come out of. “What were you doing?” She asks, suspiciously. </p>
<p>“Oh, she just had some questions about a shoot coming up and Ashlyn is in a meeting,” she explains, happy with how easy the lie had come out of her mouth. Though, she’s not proud to say she may be getting better at lying to one of her best friends. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Alex nods, though she’s not fully convinced. She wants to ask why the office door was closed and why she wouldn’t just wait for Ashlyn, considering she rarely asks the assistants questions about important things like a shoot for the magazine. </p>
<p>But she lets it go. </p>
<p>For now. </p>
<p>“I’m going to get back to work,” Tobin mumbles, trying to escape back to her desk. </p>
<p>But before she can take another step, Ali is walking up to her with a smile, “Tobin! I’ve been trying to catch you all day,” she informs her. “Can we talk about your date last night while Ashlyn doesn’t have you busy with something,” she requests. “I want all the juicy details,” she just about squeals with excitement. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she glances to the side at Christen who was watching them with furrowed brows. But as soon as she spots the two of them looking at her, she quickly snaps her eyes away and looks at her computer. </p>
<p>“Um...yeah,” Tobin says slowly. </p>
<p>“Great! I bet it went well right? Are you guys going on a second date?” She asks with excitement, dragging Tobin over to her desk. “Oh this article is going to be great. An app with a true romance story,” she grins.</p>
<p>Shit. </p>
<p>She hasn’t even thought about what she’s going to tell Ali about her date. She almost forgot about the article completely, after all of the events in the past 24 hours. </p>
<p>She just really doesn’t want to disappoint Ali and ruin her article. She also has no idea how to explain to her what exactly happened on the date. </p>
<p>She needs to come up with something and get better at lying in the next 30 seconds.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, please let me know your thoughts on the chapter or the story as a whole! Also if there are any ideas or little things you'd like to see just let me know!! </p>
<p>Find me on tumblr to chat about the story or anything really. dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Enjoy guys!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobin awkwardly follows Ali over to her desk and sits down next to her. She’s still racking her brain, trying to come up with what she’s going to tell Ali about her date with Shirley. She obviously can’t tell her that she ended up kissing her boss in the bathroom and ended things with Shirley because she has feelings for that same boss. </p>
<p>She could just tell her that it didn’t go well, but she also doesn’t want to disappoint Ali or ruin her story. She’s so excited about this article and she knows that it won’t really be a good promotion for the app to talk about how a date set up through the app didn’t work out. </p>
<p>She’s honestly at a loss. And to make it worse, she’s terrible at lying so it’s not like it’s easy for her to just come up with something and pull it off. </p>
<p>But the only thing that she can think to do is to lie to her and tell her that everything went great. Tobin also isn’t sure how Christen will react if she sees an article about how well Tobin’s date had gone or what she will think about it. Though, Christen has to know that it will be a lie. She has to know that she doesn’t want Shirley. </p>
<p>“So? Tell me everything! Will there be a second date?” Ali asks with a smile. </p>
<p>“Uh...I don’t know,” Tobin says with a frown. “She was great. She was super nice and fun to talk to,” she says honestly. Because if it wouldn’t have been for Christen, she probably would have ended up having a great time and actually been into Shirley. </p>
<p>“But you don’t know if you want to see her again?” Ali asks, raising a brow. “Tell me you’re not one of those people who just sleep with girls and then never call them,” she says with a small smirk. “Ashlyn was that same way when we first met,” she says with a small eye roll. </p>
<p>“No!” Tobin says quickly. “I’m not,” Tobin assures her. “And I didn’t sleep with her,” she says with furrowed brows.</p>
<p>Ali studies Tobin for a few moments and then sighs, “Tobin, you know that you don’t have to do this, right?” She asks softly, not wanting her to do something that she’s not comfortable with. </p>
<p>“No, I want to help you,” Tobin says truthfully. “I just...I don’t know, I don’t like talking about my private life I guess,” she says with a small frown. “And I guess I didn’t really think about all the details of my date being posted for everyone to read,” she adds a bit anxiously. </p>
<p>“Well, it’ll be anonymous,” Ali assures her. </p>
<p>Tobin nods her head slowly, “I guess I just thought you’d send me some questions and I could just answer them and give them to you. I didn’t really expect to be on the spot like this. I don’t really...I’m not great with words or interviews and stuff,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Ali nods. “I can do that if it makes you more comfortable,” she assures her. “But you don’t have to feel embarrassed or anything with me. I’m not going to judge you or criticize you for anything,” Ali assures her. </p>
<p>“No, I know,” Tobin says, giving her a small smile. “I just think I’d give better answers if I had some time to think them over and write them down,” she tells her. “If that’s okay,” she adds. And honestly it’s true in any case, but this in particular, she needs to really think about how she’s going to approach this. </p>
<p>She should have thought about this last night, but she’d been a little preoccupied. </p>
<p>“Yeah, that’s fine,” Ali nods with a comforting smile. “I’ll write some questions up and email them to you. Just try and have them for me tomorrow?” She asks, making Tobin nod quickly. “And then if I have any follow up questions or would like you to elaborate anything, I’ll let you know,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Okay, that sounds great. Thank you so much,” Tobin says gratefully. “I’m sorry if I’m making this harder on you,” she adds with a small frown. </p>
<p>“No you’re not. I promise,” Ali says, giving her a smile. “Thank you for helping me,” She adds gratefully. “I know that letting someone write about your personal life can be a little weird,” she says knowingly. “And Tobin, I’m serious, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” she assures her. “I won’t be mad and it won’t affect your job or anything,” she explains to her. “I just need to know now so that I can start figuring something else out now, instead of trying to scrape something together last minute,” she explains. </p>
<p>And deep down Tobin knows that she’s telling the truth, but she still has some anxiety about changing her mind now. It’s definitely not a good look and not something she wants to do while she’s still new here and trying to get on everyone’s good side. </p>
<p>It’s also probably because she can be a bit of a people pleaser sometimes. </p>
<p>Also it wouldn’t hurt for something good to come out of her disaster date with Shirley. </p>
<p>“No, it’s okay. I said I’ll do it and I will,” Tobin tells her. “I’ll have it for you by tomorrow,” she says confidently. </p>
<p>“Okay, great,” Ali smiles. “I’ll let you get back to work then. I’m sure Ashlyn won’t be happy that I poached her assistant for too long,” she smiles. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin smiles and then stands up from her chair. She glances over towards Christen’s office and catches the woman watching her and she can tell even at a distance that she has that cute little crinkle between her eyes that she gets when she’s concentrating or thinking hard about something. </p>
<p>She’s sure that Christen is curious to know about the article and what she told Ali. </p>
<p>Knowing that she can’t go and talk to Christen, she just gives Christen a small smile before heading over to her own desk. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin gets done at work and looks towards Christen’s office where she sees the woman still diligently working on her computer. She again wants to go over and talk to her and explain what is happening with the article or at least let her know that she’s heading out for the evening, but she knows that she can’t. They’re supposed to be keeping their distance at work and it’s for good reasons. She knows that just talking to Christen may not look super suspicious but it’s smart to be extra careful. </p>
<p>She’s supposed to be going over to Christen’s tonight anyway. However, she honestly has a lot of work to do with Ali’s article and needs to figure out how she’s going to approach everything and answer Ali’s questions. So she’s not really sure if going over to Christen’s will be the best idea. </p>
<p>Though, she really really doesn’t want to cancel on her. </p>
<p>She finds it a little funny that she’s finally the one that has work and has to cancel plans for a job. She never thought she’d see the day. </p>
<p>She starts heading towards the elevators, pulling out her phone, deciding to just text Christen to let her know that she can’t come over tonight, hoping that she won’t be too upset with her. </p>
<p>Tobin: Hey, I don’t think I’m going to make it tonight :(</p>
<p>With a sigh, Tobin leans up against the wall of the elevator. She’s proud of herself for putting her work first for once, but she’s also kind of mad at herself from stopping herself from seeing Christen. Because she really wants to see her tonight, but she knows that she really needs to get these questions done. And it feels weird, actually being responsible and trying to be an adult for once in her life, but she knows that she’s doing the right thing. </p>
<p>She really wants to get her life together. </p>
<p>Christen: What’s wrong?</p>
<p>Tobin’s brows furrow as she quickly types out a response, not wanting Christen to think that she’s upset with her or anything. </p>
<p>Tobin: No, nothing is wrong. I just have a lot of work that I need to get done. I know if I come over, I won’t get anything done. You’re too distracting. </p>
<p>She smiles to herself and pockets her phone as she exits the elevator and starts walking towards the entrance of the lobby. </p>
<p>“Tobin, hey!” She hears a voice say, making her turn around, where she sees Shirley standing behind the coffee counter, smiling at her. </p>
<p>“Oh hey,” she says with a small smile. They’re supposed to be friends. She needs to at least act like she’s somewhat happy to see Shirley. But honestly, she just feels a little awkward and she’s still kind of reeling from the events that have happened in the past 24 hours. </p>
<p>She’s never really been the one to reject someone before and she doesn’t know how some people can do it so easily and act like it’s no problem. </p>
<p>She feels terrible that she hurt Shirley. </p>
<p>“Do you want a coffee before you go?” Shirley asks with a smile. “My shift is over in about 5 minutes, we could sit down and hang out for a little bit before you go,” she suggests. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her another smile, hoping that it doesn’t seem as forced as she feels it does. “That would be great, but honestly, I still have a lot of work to get done tonight,” she tells her. “I need to get home,” she responds as politely as she can. </p>
<p>“Oh okay,” Shirley says with a small frown, but then her smile is back to being bright. “Well let me make you a cup to go. I’m sure you’ll need it if you have as much work as you say you do,” she smiles, and starts to make the cup before Tobin can even protest. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Tobin says softly, approaching the counter. She starts to pull out her wallet, but Shirley shakes her head. </p>
<p>“It’s on me,” she insists. “Well sort of, I get free coffee,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“Oh, well thank you,” Tobin says gratefully. “But, I don’t want to get you in trouble,” she says, a bit worried. </p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Shirley waves off. “I don’t even drink that much coffee so it’s good that my discount can go to use,” she says with another shrug, before handing Tobin the coffee cup. </p>
<p>“Well thank you again,” Tobin says with a smile. “We can get that cup together soon,” she feels the need to promise her. And honestly, she wouldn’t mind being friends with Shirley, but she’s a bit worried about the girl’s feelings for her. She doesn’t want to continue to hurt her.</p>
<p>“I’ll hold you to that,” Shirley says with another grin, waving as Tobin heads for the door again. </p>
<p>Once she gets outside, Tobin pulls her phone back out of her pocket and smiles when she sees another text from Christen. </p>
<p>Christen: I have some work to do as well. You could come over still, if you want...I mean, you don’t have to if you’d rather just go home, I understand. But we could just work and hang out or whatever... </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but grin at Christen’s response. </p>
<p>Tobin: Your nervous rambling is cute. </p>
<p>Christen: I’m not nervous...or rambling. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs to herself because she can see the cute little pout on Christen’s face. </p>
<p>Tobin: I’d love to just work and hang out or whatever... </p>
<p>And now Tobin can see the eyeroll that Christen probably has when she reads her text message because of her mocking her. </p>
<p>Tobin: When will you be home? </p>
<p>Christen: I’ll leave in just a few minutes. Meet me at my place. </p>
<p>With a nod, Tobin pulls her phone back out and orders a Lyft, realizing that’s how she’d gotten to work this morning. She would just hang back and catch a ride with Christen, but she knows they probably shouldn’t chance being seen leaving together. And by the time her Lyft gets there, she’s hoping that Christen will be leaving as well. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen walks down the hallway to her condo when she sees Tobin sitting on the ground outside of her door. She smiles when she notices the furrowed brows and look of concentration on Tobin’s face as she looks at something on her phone. “Hey there,” Christen says softly as she approaches her, not wanting to startle her. </p>
<p>Tobin looks up and smiles widely when she sees Christen, “Hi,” she replies, standing up from the ground. </p>
<p>“Have you been waiting long?” Christen asks curiously. “I tried to leave as soon as I could, but Pinoe stopped me and needed to talk about some things for the app,” she informs her. “It’s hard to get out of there sometimes without someone needing something from me,” she says with a small sigh.</p>
<p>“No, maybe like 20 minutes,” Tobin shrugs. “I was just going over an email from work,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods, unlocking her condo door and walking in, Tobin following behind her. “Do you want to eat dinner now? Or do you want to wait a bit?” She asks curiously and with a little bit of nervousness to her voice. </p>
<p>Tobin picks up on it, but isn’t really sure why she would be feeling nervous at this point to have her over. </p>
<p>“We can wait,” Tobin nods. “Unless you’re hungry now,” she then adds, wanting to do whatever Christen wants to do. </p>
<p>“No, I’m okay. I’d rather just try and get my work done first,” she agrees. “Do you need anything? Do you have your laptop? Or I have two and you can borrow it if you need, but I don’t know if you need anything certain on yours-</p>
<p>“Chris,” Tobin says with a smile, wanting to stop Christen’s rambling. “I have it with me,” she assures her. “Why are you so anxious?” She asks curiously. “I don’t have to hang out here,” she then assures her, thinking that maybe Christen has changed her mind and doesn’t really want her in the way. “I mean you invited me so I thought it was okay,” she says with a small frown. </p>
<p>“No it is,” Christen says, shaking her head. “I’m sorry,” she says with a shy smile. “I’m just not used to having company...or hanging out or whatever,” she admits, a bit embarrassed. “I don’t really know what people do anymore,” she adds with a bit of a self deprecating laugh.</p>
<p>“You don’t ever have friends over?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen shakes her head. “I don’t really...I don’t have friends,” she says quietly. “I’m too busy for them,” she then adds, her face turning back stoic like it doesn’t bother her. </p>
<p>Tobin just walks up to her wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist. “It’s just me,”  she says softly. “Just relax,” she says, leaning in and placing a soft kiss against Christen’s forehead and she can immediately feel Christen relaxing in her arms. “I’ll let you know if I need anything okay? But I’m pretty low maintenance,” she says with a small smirk. “Let’s just get started on our work, okay?” She suggests. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a long sigh, feeling a weight off of her shoulders as she just tries to relax. “Okay,” she agrees. She gives Tobin a small smile and leans in pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “Thank you,” she says appreciatively. </p>
<p>Christen is about to pull away but Tobin pulls her closer to her and presses their lips together in a deeper kiss, leaving Christen breathless. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” Tobin whispers against her lips. </p>
<p>Christen smiles and plays with the little baby hairs on the back of Tobin’s neck. “Me too,” she admits, before leaning in and kissing Tobin once again. “But we should really get our work done because if we continue this, we won’t get anything done,” she says with a grin, pulling away from Tobin. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods with a small sigh. A part of her wants to protest and say that’s okay, but she also knows that she really does need to get her work done and answer all of these questions that Ali sent her. And Christen is right, if they continue this, they’ll probably be at it until late tonight and won’t get anything done. </p>
<p>“I’m going to change into some more comfortable clothes, first,” Christen informs her. “Do you want to borrow something?” She asks, looking at Tobin over her shoulder as she heads for her bedroom. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Tobin shrugs. Honestly, she hates wearing actual clothes for the most part so any chance she gets to wear something more comfortable she’s going to take it. She follows Christen into her bedroom and sees her already stripping out of her work clothes. “Hey, that’s my job,” she says with a pout.  </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes at the girl and walks over to her dresser, pulling out a couple of pairs of shorts and some t-shirts. “If you take my clothes off, I don’t think you’d let me put more back on,” she says with a smirk. “Is this okay?” She questions, holding up some running shorts and a t-shirt. “Or I have joggers, if you want some pants,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“These are fine,” Tobin nods, grabbing the clothes from her hand. “I run kind of hot,” she shrugs. “And you keep it kind of hot in here,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“It’s not hot,” Christen argues. “But, I get cold,” she shrugs in a small voice. </p>
<p>“I’ll warm you up,” Tobin says with a wink. </p>
<p>Christen grins at her but rolls her eyes, “Put your clothes on,” she instructs her as she throws a t-shirt over her own head. </p>
<p>Tobin throws the shirt over her head and then looks down at it, realizing that it’s a Standfor t-shirt. “This is just mean,” she says with a deep frown, studying the big S in the middle of her shirt. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help but laugh at her, knowing exactly what she did. “Stanford colors look good on you,” she comments with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin groans, “Get it off,” she says with a pout, making a face like it’s physically hurting her. </p>
<p>“You’re fine, you big baby,” Christen assures her with a grin. “Come on, we have work to do,” she says before walking out of her bedroom. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs dramatically and finishes getting dressed before she follows Christen out into the living room. She sees Christen making herself comfortable on her couch, so Tobin sits on the opposite end of the couch, grabbing her bag and pulling her laptop out. </p>
<p>She watches Christen get her laptop out as well and get herself all ready to start working, with a little smile on her face. She’s got her laptop, two notebooks and what looks like a planner. She also has highlighters, pens and pencils all set up, trying to arrange everything on the coffee table and around the couch, still giving Tobin enough space. </p>
<p>She’s probably one of the most organized people that she’s ever met, and probably a bit OCD as well. And while normally, Tobin would think these traits would be annoying, she finds it cute on Christen. And honestly, she should probably take note, because Tobin is one of the least organized people in the world.</p>
<p>Finally, she tears her eyes away from Christen and opens up the email from Ali, just staring at the questions. She still has no idea what to say or how to answer the questions. </p>
<p>With a sigh, she glances over at Christen, who already looks deep into her work. </p>
<p>She doesn’t want to bother her, but she also kind of wants her opinion on the article.</p>
<p>“Hey Chris?” She finally asks, looking a bit timid. </p>
<p>Christen just lets out a humming sound, letting her know that she’s acknowledged her, but she doesn’t turn away from her computer. </p>
<p>“So you know how I went on date with Shirley for Ali’s article?” She asks hesitantly. She notices Christen’s fingers stop typing on her keyboard, but she still doesn’t look over at her. “Well, Ali sent me a bunch of questions to answer about it,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen says slowly, turning her head to look over at Tobin. “And?” </p>
<p>“And....I don’t know what to say or how to answer them,” Tobin responds. “I mean, I can’t tell her what actually happened that night,” she points out as if it were obvious. “And, I don’t know...I don’t want to just tell her that I didn’t like Shirley and that it didn’t work out. She’s trying to make the app look good and that’s not a good look,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>Christen sighs and turns fully towards Tobin. “So just tell her that it went well,” she shrugs as if it were that simple. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows, “You’d be okay with that? With me acting like I like her and that I may be going out with her again?” </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders, looking away from Tobin. “You know what I think you should have done?” She asks, turning her attention back over to Tobin. “I think that you should have told her no to even doing the article,” she says honestly and a bit harshly. “You shouldn’t have gotten yourself into this mess in the first place.” </p>
<p>Tobin frowns at her, “When I agreed, I didn’t think that you and I were going to get back together,” she tells her honestly. “Or I wouldn’t have,” she adds. “But, I don't know, I got nervous and she was so excited and I just said yes. I didn’t want to disappoint her or to upset her which could have upset Ashlyn. I’m just trying to do well here,” she sighs, feeling at a loss. She didn’t want to upset anyone and now it seems like she’s upset Christen. </p>
<p>Christen starts to massage the bridge of her nose, letting out another frustrated sigh. “Tobin, you wouldn’t get in trouble for not wanting to participate in some stupid article,” she tells her. “Or for going on a fake date just for an article,” she then adds. </p>
<p>“It wasn’t a fake date,” she says with a bit of a frown. “I wouldn’t have done that to someone.” She says, and then sees Christen frowning at her. “I mean, I wouldn’t have gone on the date if I knew things would work out with us, but at the time, I was trying to forget about you and I thought that maybe I could like her,” she says with a small shrug. </p>
<p>Christen doesn’t say anything to her and just keeps staring at her laptop. </p>
<p>“And, It’s not stupid to Ali,” Tobin defends. “And sure, it may not be some political or world changing article but it means something to some people. There’s never really been any good dating apps for women who date women,” she tries to explain to her. “I think it’s great and it’s great that your magazine is promoting things like this. I’ve only ever seen apps that have just a small handful of gay women using it or you have to use the popular ones where you still just get a bunch of dudes trying to message you and send you dick pics.” She says with a grimace. “The more publicity that they get, the better the app will do. It’s a great thing, even if it seems like something dumb. It could make a lot of girl’s happy and maybe help them find someone they can connect with.” </p>
<p>Christen sighs once again and looks at Tobin a bit apologetically. “I’m sorry, you’re right,” she says. “I didn’t realize you were so passionate about this,” she then says, raising a brow at her. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs. “I didn’t really realize I was either,” she says honestly. “But, I do think that it’s a great article. I think that sometimes you get so caught up in the bigger stories that you think things like this are meaningless but even these small things can make a certain group of people really happy,” she explains. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help but smile at her, even if she wants to be a little mad for getting called out. “Fine.” Christen relents. “But that still doesn’t mean you have to be the one to do it,” she adds, still not happy about the situation. </p>
<p>“No, but I already said I would so now here we are,” she says, knowing there’s no use in arguing about what she should have done. </p>
<p>“Well, I guess you should just say that it went well and you found the love of your life,” Christen says a bit bitterly. “Give all those baby gays some hope,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes but smiles at Christen. “I’ll say that it went well and all that,” she informs her. “But Chris, you know that I don’t actually want anything with Shirley, right?” She asks softly. </p>
<p>Christen chews on her lip and looks away from Tobin. “It wouldn’t really matter. You can do what you want,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>Tobin can tell that Christen is starting to shut down on her. And she knows that Christen has some issues and she’s not ready for a relationship yet, but she doesn’t want her to keep shutting down and turning cold on her like this either. “Christen,” Tobin says firmly, in a bit of a reprimanding voice. </p>
<p>“What?” Christen asks, looking back over at her, like she has no idea what she’s doing. “You can,” she shrugs again. “We aren’t in a relationship or whatever.” </p>
<p>“Fine,” Tobin relents. </p>
<p>Christen mentally kicks herself when she sees the hurt look on Tobin’s face as she turns her focus back to her laptop. “Tobin, I’m sorry,” she sighs. “I shouldn’t be lashing out at you,” she says knowingly. “I just...” she starts to say but then stops herself, not really knowing what it is she wants to say. “I’m working on it,” she says softly. </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin nods, turning to look back at Christen. “And I know that we aren’t in a relationship,” she assures her. “And I’m here, and I’m being patient but you can’t just be hot and cold with me like that, okay?” </p>
<p>“I know, I’m sorry,” Christen says, reaching out for Tobin’s hand. “I can’t promise that it’ll be the last time. I’m still trying to get used to this but, I promise that I am trying and I am so happy that you’re here and being patient with me. I really appreciate you and...I have no idea why you like me so much and why you’d put yourself through all of the trouble, but I’m happy that you are,” she says with a sincere smile. </p>
<p>“It’s not trouble,” Tobin assures her. “I really like you Christen and none of the other stuff matters. I just want you and I want to be here with you,” she says sincerely. </p>
<p>Christen leans across the couch, pursing her lips for a kiss and Tobin can’t help but chuckle at how cute she looks. She leans in, meeting Christen halfway, pressing their lips together in a brief kiss. </p>
<p>“Okay, back to work?” Tobin asks. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen nods. “Do you want me to help you with your answers?” </p>
<p>“No, I think I can come up with something,” she assures her. “I just hope that Shirley doesn’t see it and say something,” she then frowns, knowing that Shirley probably reads the magazine and may pick up on the fact that it was them. </p>
<p>“It’s anonymous,” Christen shrugs. “But, don’t say anything too specific, just try and be a little vague,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay, I can do that,” Tobin nods, trying to give herself a little confidence boost. She then looks over at Christen, biting down on her lip. She wants to ask a follow up question to their conversation, but she also doesn’t want to upset Christen or ruin anything. “Can I ask you another question?” She asks softly. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Christen says, a bit hesitantly. </p>
<p>“Are you seeing other people?” Tobin asks quietly. </p>
<p>Christen furrows her brows and looks over at Tobin, studying her face and noticing how nervous she looks. “Well, considering I’m either at work or with you, I don't really have much time for anyone else,” she answers with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin smiles at her, but rolls her eyes, “I’m serious,” she says, wanting a direct answer. “I mean, I know we aren’t in a relationship or whatever, but I just...I guess I want to know where we stand with that,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Are you seeing anyone else?” Christen asks, turning the question on her. </p>
<p>“No,” Tobin answers honestly. </p>
<p>“You could, if you wanted,” Christen then tells her. </p>
<p>“I don’t want to,” Tobin answers immediately. </p>
<p>Christen nods and thinks over the question, looking a bit hesitant to answer. “I don’t want to either,” she finally says, quietly. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but grin and she nods her head, deciding not to make too big of a deal out of this. She knows it’s a step in the right direction and it was probably not the most comfortable conversation for Christen to have. “Okay,” she says simply, turning back to her laptop, not being able to wipe the smile off of her face. <br/>—-</p>
<p>Tobin glances over at the other side of the couch, looking at Christen who is still concentrating hard on her laptop. She’d finished up her article for Ali and now she’s just bored, waiting on Christen to finish up. But she knows that Christen probably has a lot more work to do than to just answer a few questions. </p>
<p>But, she feels like she’s been waiting long enough. </p>
<p>She stretches out her leg, nudging Christen with her toes. But Christen doesn’t lose focus on whatever it is she’s reading on her computer. Tobin just frowns even deeper and nudges Christen a little harder. </p>
<p>This time she sees Christen crack a smile and glance over at her, “What?” She questions, before turning her attention back to her computer. </p>
<p>“Pay attention to me,” Tobin whines with a pout. </p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, chuckling at the woman. “I told you that I had work to do. It’s not my fault you finished so quickly,” she says with a smile. “Plus, you’re the one that said you could sit here and entertain yourself,” Christen reminds her. </p>
<p>Which was true. When Tobin finished up, she’d assured Christen that she could keep working and that she’d be okay waiting on her to finish. But now she’s changed her mind. </p>
<p>“That was an hour ago,” Tobin points out. “Now, I want attention,” she informs her with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs again, shaking her head, but she continues reading on her computer, not giving in to Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin lets out a dramatic sigh and throws her head back against the couch. “You work too much,” she points out, nudging Christen with her toes again. </p>
<p>“Your toes are cold, stop,” Christen says, trying to sound firm, but ends up laughing as she swats Tobin’s feet away from her. “I own and run a magazine,” she points out, raising a brow at her. “It’s a lot of work,” she explains. </p>
<p>“It’s getting late. I just want 5 minutes,” Tobin pouts. She crawls across the couch over to Christen’s side and grabs the laptop of Christen’s grasp, sitting it down on the coffee table. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Christen protests, but it’s weak. </p>
<p>Tobin just smiles and lays her head down in Christen’s lap, turning on her side to nuzzle her nose into Christen’s stomach. </p>
<p>Christen considers grabbing her laptop again and pushing Tobin off of her, but she gives in, and starts threading her fingers through Tobin’s hair. Honestly, she’d rather spend time with Tobin anyway, she just knows that she has a lot of work to do. But she supposes that she can spare a few minutes. She’s not used to having to split her time with work and another person and it’s definitely something that she needs to work on. </p>
<p>“Hey Tobin?” Christen asks after a moment of them just sitting in a comfortable silence. </p>
<p>“Hmm?” Tobin hums out, still nuzzled against Christen. </p>
<p>“Alex told me something about you,” she starts to say, not really sure how she should approach the subject. She wants to know about Tobin playing soccer on the national team and winning a World Cup, but she also feels like that’s something that Tobin would have told her. And maybe since she hadn’t, it’s not something she wants to talk about for some reason. </p>
<p>“Oh god,” Tobin groans. “Did she say that we used to hook up because- </p>
<p>“No,” Christen frowns. “But we are definitely circling back to that,” she says, pointedly. </p>
<p>Tobin groans and turns onto her back so she’s looking up at Christen, “How about I stop listing off things that could get me into trouble and you just tell me,” she says with an embarrassed smile. </p>
<p>“I don’t know, I kind of like this game,” Christen says, raising a brow at the woman. </p>
<p>“Chris,” Tobin whines. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and goes back to playing with Tobin’s hair. “She said that you played soccer professionally,” she informs her. “Even said that you won a World Cup,” she adds curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns and lets out a sigh, “Yeah,” she says simply with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“Yeah?” Christen repeats. “That’s all you have to say about it?” </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs again and pulls herself up off of Christen’s lap, sitting next to her. “I started playing for the national team when I was 17,” she reveals. “And then I played professionally for a little while after college,” she tells her. “And yes, I won a World Cup. And a gold medal in the olympics,” she informs her, not seeming as thrilled as one would think. </p>
<p>“Tobin, that’s amazing!” Christen gushes. “Why wouldn’t you tell me that?” She asks curiously. “Seems like something someone would like to brag about,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her a small smile and just shrugs her shoulders, “You never really seemed like you wanted to talk or cared to get to know me,” she points out, making Christen wince. “Sorry,” Tobin apologizes, knowing she shouldn’t keep bringing up the beginning of their relationship. They’ve moved past just the hooking up and she needs to focus on the present. “It’s not really something to just randomly throw in normal conversation I guess,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns at her, studying her face. “What happened? Why don’t you play anymore?” </p>
<p>Tobin sighs once again and lays back down, nuzzling her face into Christen’s stomach. “I don’t really want to talk about this,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>Christen wants to ask her more, but she knows not to. Tobin had been very patient with her and hadn’t pushed her into talking about her coming out or her past relationship when she obviously didn’t want to. “Okay,” Christen nods, dropping the subject. “Then can we circle back to you and Alex?” She asks with a deep frown.  </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks, and looks up at Christen, “Jealous?” </p>
<p>“What? No,” Christen says quickly, but her face says otherwise. “I mean...you can do what you want,” she then adds with an awkward shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin sits up again, sitting next to Christen and puts her arm behind Christen on the couch, scooting close to her. “It was a long time ago, when we were in college,” she informs her. “It hasn’t happened in forever and it’s not ever going to happen again. I swear,” she informs her. “I don’t even want Alex like that. We were just young and stupid and in college,” she shrugs. “It was fun,” she adds, and Christen grimaces, making Tobin laugh. “You’re cute when you’re jealous,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“I’m not jealous,” Christen protests. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, though she can see right through her. She brings her hand up to caress Christen’s face. “I’m serious though, She has a boyfriend and even if she didn’t, I don’t want her at all and you have nothing to worry about,” she says softly. “We went over this already, I only want you, Christen,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>Christen looks up, meeting Tobin’s eyes, feeling her heart start beating a little faster in her chest at the intensity of Tobin’s words. “Okay,” she says softly, feeling a little at a loss for words. This is all getting a little too intense for her and it’s scaring her, but she’s trying to fight every instinct within her to run. </p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Tobin asks softly, seeing the slight look of panic on Christen’s face. “I’m sorry, if that was too much,” she then says, kicking herself. “I just wanted you to know that you don’t need to worry about Alex or any other woman, okay?” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods again, feeling herself start to calm a bit. “I’m okay,” she assures her. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and lays her head back down in Christen’s lap, nuzzling into her stomach again. </p>
<p>“I really do need to finish my work though,” Christen says with a small frown, not wanting Tobin to think that she’s pushing her away again. Tobin just nods and starts to move out of Christen’s lap, but Christen stops her. “No, you can stay,” she tells her softly. She reaches over Tobin and grabs her laptop, balancing it on the arm of the couch and turning her body just slightly so she can try and work and leave Tobin be. </p>
<p>Tobin just smiles and nuzzles closer to Christen, happy that she’s letting her stay close to her. </p>
<p>And after a few moments, Tobin decides that she should start opening up to Christen. She knows how hard all of this is and how scary it’s been for Christen, but she can see that she’s truly trying. And Tobin knows that she doesn’t owe her anything, but she wants to try too. </p>
<p>“I got hurt really bad during a game,” Tobin says quietly. </p>
<p>It startles Christen for a moment, because they’d been sitting in silence for so long. She just looks down at Tobin, who turns onto her back, her head still in Christen’s lap. She’s not looking up at Christen though, she’s just staring at the ceiling and Christen just lets her take her time to talk. </p>
<p>“I was out for over a year and I had 7 different surgeries. I got an infection at one point and almost lost my leg entirely,” she admits softly. </p>
<p>Christen starts running her fingers through Tobin’s hair gently. “I’m so sorry, Tobin,” she says, not knowing what else she can say. She would have never guessed that about Tobin. Though, she supposes you never really know what people have been through. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Tobin shrugs, though Christen can see the tears welling up in her eyes. “I kind of just gave up and got into a really dark place,” she tells her. “I started drinking a lot and...I don’t know, I was just really angry and in a really bad place for a long time. They told me that I could keep doing physical therapy and that eventually I’d be able to play again, but at the time I was so mad and I just gave up. I had lost my place on the national team and I knew that I may never make it back there and at that point, I just didn’t even want to play anymore.” She explains. “I regret giving up,” she admits. “It was my dream and I know that I could have come back, but I just...I was so lost and I just..I just quit,” she says, defeated. </p>
<p>Christen leans down and places a kiss on Tobin’s forehead and brings her hand up, wiping Tobin’s tears away. “Tobin, you’re only 23. You could still play,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just shakes her head, “I wouldn’t do all of my physical therapy. I just drank and partied and threw everything away. It doesn’t bother me much anymore, but I still have some trouble with my ankle sometimes if I play too long or push myself too hard. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I’d need to be to play professionally again. And because I was so stupid, I won’t ever get the chance. I just fucked up, it’s too late,” she says sadly. “Everyone tried to help and tried to get me to go to therapy and to stop wasting my life away and feeling sorry for myself, but I wouldn’t listen and I just pushed everyone away,” she explains. </p>
<p>“I know that playing was your dream but you can still make something out of your life, Tobin.” Christen tells her softly. </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin says, looking back at her. “I’m not in that place anymore,” she assures her. “I mean, I’m pissed at myself for being so stupid, but I don’t want to throw my whole life away over it,” she tells her. “I’m trying to turn my life around, which is why I needed this job so much,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Christen just nods, taking in her words. “Tobin....do you think this is worth it?” She asks softly. “I don’t want anything to get in the way of you succeeding,” she then tells her. “You deserve it.” </p>
<p>Tobin sits up off of Christen’s lap and turns to look at her. “I know that it’s a risk and maybe it’s stupid but it’s worth it to me,” she says sincerely. “And yeah, I was ready to turn my life back around before I met you, but honestly, you inspire me to be better and you make me actually want to be better and to get my life together,” she tells her honestly. “I know that we haven’t known each other that long, but you’ve helped me more than you know Christen,” she tells her honestly. </p>
<p>“You’re helping me too,” Christen informs her. “I still have my reservations about opening myself up to someone and thinking that it could be okay to get close with someone again, but you are helping to realize that maybe it’s okay,” she explains. “I’m still scared out of my mind, but you make it worth it to try.” </p>
<p>Tobin reaches out and caresses Christen’s cheek with her hand. “See, we’re good together and good for each other,” she says with a soft smile. </p>
<p>Christen smiles as well, nodding and head and then leaning into Tobin’s touch. “I don’t know what you are doing to me, Tobin Heath,” she says, shaking her head, still in awe of the effect that this woman has had on her in such a short time. </p>
<p>“I’m making you happy, hopefully,” she says softly. </p>
<p>“You are,” Christen assures her. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Later that night, Tobin sits up on the edge of Christen’s bed, looking around for her clothes. When she spots her work clothes from earlier, she starts to put them on, buttoning up her shirt. </p>
<p>Christen furrows her brows and slides over onto Tobin’s side of the bed, putting a hand on the small of her back. “What are you doing?” She asks confused, not expecting Tobin to start getting dressed and leave.  </p>
<p>“I need to go home,” Tobin informs her, turning so that she’s looking down at Christen. “Allie is going to ask questions if I sleep over here again,” she explains. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns at her, “You’re an adult Tobin. She’s not your mother,” she points out. </p>
<p>“I know that,” Tobin sighs. “But we are best friends and she’s going to ask who I was with and want details. We normally share this kind of stuff with each other,” she tries to explain to her. “I told her last night that I hooked up with some random person from the bar,” she says, making Christen grimace. Tobin just laughs and reaches out, brushing some hair from Christen’s face. “But she’s not going to keep believing that. I’ve never really been the type to just hook up with different people every night,” she tells her. “And yeah, I told her that you and I are over, but she’s going to get suspicious and you are the one who said that I can’t tell her about us,” she points out. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs, but nods her head. “You’re right,” she agrees. “But, I still don’t have to like it,” she pouts. </p>
<p>“Can you believe just a short time ago, you were kicking me out of your bed and refusing to give me cuddles and now you’re mad that I won’t stay?” Tobin asks with a teasing smile. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes and grumbles under her breath. </p>
<p>Tobin grins widely at her, and leans down, placing a kiss on her lips. “I’ll see you at work in the morning,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen says, the pout still on her face. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help herself and leans down, kissing Christen once again before she gets up and finishes getting dressed. “I’ll lock the door on my way out,” she assures her. “Night Chris,” she says softly. </p>
<p>“Night, Tobs,” Christen mumbles softly, watching as Tobin walks out of her bedroom. </p>
<p>She knows that this is smart and they shouldn’t risk Allie asking her too many questions, but honestly, Christen has gotten used to having Tobin in her bed at night. And she’s grown to really like it. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Once Tobin gets back from her lunch break, she glances over towards Christen’s office and sees that she’s still not there. She’d seen her briefly this morning when she first got to work but she hasn’t seen her since. Her office has been empty since this morning which is kind of odd. She knows that Christen is very busy, but she’s normally in her office most of the day. </p>
<p>She’s a little concerned, though she knows that Christen is probably alright. She’s probably just got some sort of work obligation outside of the office. But she also hadn’t said anything to her about being out all day today, when they were together last night. </p>
<p>“Hey Tobin, did you get the necklace that I asked for?” Ashlyn asks, from where she’s standing at Ali’s desk, chatting with her and Pinoe. </p>
<p>“I did,” Tobin nods, pulling the necklace out of the bag, she’d been carrying it in. She’d had to go all the way across town to get a certain necklace for a shoot that Ashlyn wants to do, from a designer. She’d been a little nervous, carrying it around because she’s positive that it costs more money than she will probably ever make in her life. </p>
<p>“Awesome,” Ashlyn grins, pleased, as she takes the necklace out of her hands. </p>
<p>“Oh my god, that’s beautiful,” Ali comments, reaching for it, but Ashlyn pulls it out of her reach. </p>
<p>“No way. This thing costs way too much for you to play with,” she tells her wife with a smirk. </p>
<p>Ali just glares at her. “I wasn’t going to play with it,” she says, rolling her eyes, but gives up on trying to see it. </p>
<p>“Hey guys, where’s...uh Ms. Press?” Tobin asks, cringing at the way that sounds. She’s not really sure what she’s supposed to call Christen at work. </p>
<p>Ashlyn and Pinoe start laughing and Ali just looks at her in amusement. “You can call her Christen,” Pinoe assures her. “Or Pressi, that’s what I like to go with,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“Pretty Pressi to be exact,” Ali says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just smiles at them, amused with the nickname. “She hasn’t been in all day. Is everything okay?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah, I’m sure it’s fine,” Pinoe assures her. “She’s been downstairs in legal all morning. They’re trying to settle with the parents that are suing the magazine today,” she informs Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen at the information. She honestly can’t believe that Christen hadn’t mentioned to her that something so big was happening today. If she’d known, she wouldn’t have been as annoying last night and just let her focus on her work. “Oh...is everything going to be okay?” She asks, nervously. </p>
<p>“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Ashlyn waves off. “We’ve been sued before and most people just want the money,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“What happens if they don’t take the deal?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Then they try and work something out and if they can’t come to an agreement then they’ll have to take it to court,” Ashlyn informs her. “It wouldn’t be good if we had to go to court, but Pressi will get it all sorted out.” She says, trying to convince them. </p>
<p>“Oh, okay,” Tobin nods, still taking in the information. She suddenly has a strong urge to text Christen or even run down to legal to make sure she’s okay, but she obviously can’t do that. She’ll probably send Christen a text to check up on her later, but she also knows that she’s probably too busy to respond. “Well, I hope everything is okay,” she says softly. </p>
<p>“It will be,” Ashlyn nods confidently. “Ali was down there with them for a while since she wrote the article,” Ashlyn adds, putting a hand on Ali’s shoulder. “She says that she thinks they’ll settle,” she assures them. </p>
<p>Tobin looks down to Ali who nods her head. “Are you okay? That sounds kind of scary,” Tobin comments with a frown. </p>
<p>“It was terrifying,” Ali tells her. “If they go to court then I could get in trouble as well and not just the magazine, or they could request that I am terminated as a part of the deal,” she says with a sigh, making Tobin’s eyes widen. “But, I trust Christen. She’s smart and she’ll get it all sorted out,” she adds with a smile, though she still looks nervous. </p>
<p>“I hope that it works out for you,” Tobin nods, not really knowing what else to say. </p>
<p>“It will,” Ashlyn says, squeezing Ali’s shoulder in support. “Christen may seem a little cold and intimidating most of the time, but she really does care about her staff,” Ashlyn says with a smile. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but smile at that, because she’s happy that someone else can tell how much Christen actually cares, even if she doesn’t always show it. </p>
<p>“Alright, we have some work to do, Tobin,” Ashlyn says before leaning down and kissing her wife on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, don’t stress yourself out,” she tells her, giving her shoulder another squeeze before leading Tobin away and into her own office. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Finally when the day is almost over, Tobin sees Christen exit off the elevator, her head held high as she struts through the office, looking as intimidating as ever. </p>
<p>And as hot as ever. </p>
<p>But honestly, Tobin can barely think about that right now, because she just wants to know what happened with the case. She resists the urge to jump out of her seat and follow Christen into her office because she knows that she can’t. She also knows that she can’t add any extra stress on Christen right now. </p>
<p>She watches as Mal follows Christen into the office as well as Ali, and feels her heart start racing in her chest as she sees the door close behind them. </p>
<p>She looks into Ashlyn’s office and sees the woman’s eyes on Christen’s closed door as well. Tobin can tell that she’s just as worried as she is, even if she’s trying hard to hide it. She knows that she’s trying to stay positive for Ali. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and tries to focus back on the email that she’d been writing, though she’s having a hard time concentrating. </p>
<p>After about 15 minutes, Ali walks out of Christen’s office and Ashlyn is out of her chair and heading for her, before Tobin can even blink. Tobin wants to follow them, but she knows that it’s not really her place and that they probably would prefer to talk alone. However, it doesn’t stop her from subtly watching the two of them. </p>
<p>It makes her feel a bit at ease when Ali smiles at Ashlyn and gives her a big hug. She looks like she’s been crying, but more so she looks relieved, which is probably a good sign. </p>
<p>She glances back over to Christen’s office and sees her sitting back in her chair, doing something on her cell phone. </p>
<p>Tobin pulls out her phone and decides to send Christen a quick message. </p>
<p>Tobin: Everything okay?</p>
<p>She puts her phone back down and looks up at Christen, waiting on her to get the text. When she does, Christen’s eyes find hers and she gives her a small smile before looking back down at her phone to reply. </p>
<p>Christen: Could be worse. </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns at the vague message. </p>
<p>Tobin: Do you want to talk about it?</p>
<p>Christen: Do you want to come over tonight? </p>
<p>Tobin: Yeah, of course. </p>
<p>Tobin feels a bit better after the invite. She can tell that Christen is still stressed out and everything doesn’t seem perfect but she can also tell that the worst probably didn’t happen. </p>
<p>With a small sigh, she puts her phone away, deciding not to bug Christen anymore and tries to focus her attention back on her work. She wants to try and finish up as soon as she can so that she can see Christen. Though, she’s not sure how late Christen will have to be in the office anyway. </p>
<p>“Hey Tobs,” Tobin hears, Alex’s voice, before she’s pulling up a chair and sitting down next to her. “Pretty eventful day huh?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess,” Tobin says with a small shrug. “I had no idea that this was even happening today,” she admits with a frown. </p>
<p>“Me either,” Alex says with a small shrug. “I don’t really think they announce these things to everyone,” she adds. “Serv isn’t even allowed to tell me details about this stuff,” she informs Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin just lets out a hum, nodding her head. It makes sense that he wouldn’t be able to tell her details about a legal case. </p>
<p>“Hey do you want to get dinner tonight?” Alex asks her. “Serv is working late, finalizing all the paperwork and everything and I feel like we haven’t hung out in forever,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>“I just went out with you guys a few days ago,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Alex rolls her eyes, “Yeah, but we used to see each other almost every day, whether it was drinks, or brunch or anything. I feel like you started working with me and I see you even less,” she says with a small pout. “You doing okay?” She then asks in a more gentle tone. </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” Tobin assures her. “You are just used to no responsibilities Tobin,” she says with a grin. “I have a job and a lot of work to do now,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I get that,” Alex nods. “But, Allie says you’ve been out all day and coming back home really late and I know that you’re not staying here late. You normally leave before I even do,” she says, raising a brow at her. </p>
<p>“What are you keeping tabs on me?” Tobin asks, getting a bit defensive. Honestly, she’s just starting to get nervous about all of the questions, because she’s never been good at lying to her best friends. </p>
<p>“No,” Alex frowns. “I’m just curious as to what you’ve been up to. You don’t normally hide things from us” she points out. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She asks again. </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” Tobin just about snaps. She knows that Alex is just looking out for her. Her and Allie were there with her through her darkest points and she knows that they worry about her going back down that road again. But she’s also tired of them almost mothering her because of it. “I’ve just been busy. I go to the coffee shop to work sometimes, or I go have a drink. I do have a life outside of you guys,” she explains to her with a small eye roll. </p>
<p>“Since when?” Alex asks with a gasp, feigning offense. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but laugh at her and roll her eyes playfully. “Seriously, Alex, I’m fine. I’ve just been taking this job seriously, okay?” She says, hoping that Alex won’t pry anymore. </p>
<p>“Okay, fine,” Alex gives up. “But dinner tonight?” She asks hopefully. </p>
<p>Tobin bites her lip and glances over at Christen’s office. “Um..probably not. I really have a lot of work to do tonight,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Boo,” Alex comments. “Come on, you can’t even spare an hour?” She asks with a small pout. </p>
<p>“Can we hang out tomorrow? I promise I’ll give you even more than an hour,” she tries to negotiate. </p>
<p>Alex sighs, but nods her head, “Deal. But I’m holding you to that,” she says, before standing up from her chair. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin says with a chuckle as Alex walks back over to her own desk. </p>
<p>Tobin looks back over to Christen to see her eyes following Alex back over to her desk, the little crinkle between her brow very noticeable. It just makes Tobin chuckle to herself because she finds it funny how jealous Christen seems of Alex when she really has nothing to worry about. It’s also kind of cute. </p>
<p>Tobin pulls her phone out and sends Christen a text, a smirk on her face. </p>
<p>Tobin: Relax. </p>
<p>She watches as Christen reads the message and then her eyes snap up to Tobin, looking like a kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Tobin just grins at her and shakes her head, making Christen roll her eyes and look away from her. But Tobin sees the small smile on her lips. </p>
<p>Christen: I’m going to try and get out of here early. It was a stressful day and I just want to work from home. Are you almost done? </p>
<p>Tobin smiles at her phone and quickly texts Christen back. </p>
<p>Tobin: I can try and be done quickly, but I have to make sure that it’s okay with Ashlyn. She should be leaving in another half hour as well though. </p>
<p>Christen: Okay just meet me at my place when you get done. Just come in, I’ll leave it unlocked. </p>
<p>Tobin puts her phone away and turns her attention back to her computer, more motivation than ever to try and get everything done that she needs to do today. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin walks into Christen’s condo later that evening and doesn’t see Christen anywhere. She walks through the kitchen and the living room, and then to her bedroom and still sees no sign of her. “Chris?” She calls out, before glancing outside at the balcony to make sure she’s not there. </p>
<p>“In here,” she hears a voice say. </p>
<p>Tobin just furrows her brows and walks down the hallway and peaks her head inside of an open door to see Christen sitting behind a desk, working on her computer. “I didn’t know you had a home office,” she says, looking around the room. “I don’t think I’ve actually seen all of your place,” she then tells her, walking over to Christen. </p>
<p>“I guess I should give you a tour,” she smiles. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and leans down, placing a kiss on Christen’s lips, “Hi,” she grins. </p>
<p>“Hi,” Christen says back, her smile just as wide. She leans forward and kisses Tobin again. </p>
<p>Pulling away, Tobin makes her way around the desk and sits in one of the chair’s on the other side. “So, I heard a little bit about today and the lawsuit,” she states. </p>
<p>Christen just nods, looking exhausted. “Yeah, it was a stressful day,” she sighs, leaning back in her chair. “Luckily after a lot of back and forth they decided to settle. It was a lot more money than we were hoping to have to give them, but they weren’t backing down. They basically want this magazine shut down,” she frowns, rubbing her temples. </p>
<p>“Why didn’t you tell me this was happening last night?” Tobin asks with furrowed brows. “I had no idea that you were going through this or doing this today,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders, “I can’t tell you details on stuff like this, Tobin. It’s all confidential.” She explains. </p>
<p>“Okay, I get that you can’t give me details, but you could have at least told me that you were having the meeting,” she points out. </p>
<p>“Why would it have mattered?” Christen wonders, not really sure why Tobin is so upset about this. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Tobin shrugs. “I just...I could have done something for you last night, or helped you if I knew you had something this important happening the next day. Or I could have at least been less annoying and let you focus more on your work,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just smiles softly at her, “I don’t think you can be less annoying,” she smirks. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes, “I’m serious. I had no idea you were preparing for something so big,” she tells her, seriously. “I just wish you would have shared that with me, but I get that it’s not really my business,” she says quietly. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs, and leans forward, resting her forearms on the desk. “I’m sorry,” Christen says sincerely. “I guess I’m still not used to having someone to share stuff with and I don’t really think about it. But you’re right, we’re supposed to share important stuff like this with each other,” she says, knowing that Tobin is right. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Tobin nods with a smile. “And you don’t have to tell me anything that you don’t want to tell me. I just want to be here for you,” she explains to her. “I would have totally pampered you,” she adds with a wink. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’ll try and remember that,” Christen promises with a grin. “I have a little bit of work to finish up here and then we can have some dinner. I’m sorry to invite you over and then work but I didn’t get much done today since I was in meetings all day over this stuff. There’s a little more I have to do then I thought,” she tells her with a disappointed frown. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, “That’s okay. I promise that I can entertain myself for a little while,” Tobin assures her. “I’ll go and explore your mansion here,” she says with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes, “It’s hardly a mansion,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles, “How many rooms do you have here?” she asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Well, technically it’s four bedrooms but I turned one into an office and one into a gym,” she informs her. “Though, I normally just use the balcony when it’s nice weather,” she says. “And then there’s 4 bathrooms,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“Well, I’m going to go explore,” Tobin grins, standing up from her chair. “I won’t snoop though,” she assures her. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles, “I don’t have anything to hide,” she assures her. “Believe me, you won’t find anything interesting,” she laughs. </p>
<p>“We’ll see,” Tobin says with a mischievous look in her eye. She walks around the desk and kisses Christen once more before walking out to explore her home and leave Christen to work. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin is sitting on the couch, watching a soccer game on TV when she sees Christen finally emerge from her office. She had said that it wouldn’t take her long to finish up, but Tobin knew that was a lie. She isn’t really bothered by it though. She knows how important Christen’s job is and how much work she really does have to do. And honestly, she admires how much Christen cares about the magazine and everything that goes into it. She’s more hands on than most owners would be. </p>
<p>And Tobin is happy to just hang out in her condo that is now becoming a second home to her, and just watch some football. Honestly, it felt really domestic, coming home to her from work and just hanging out without it having to be for sex. And she kind of loves it. She likes that even though Christen is busy that she still wants her there close to her. </p>
<p>“Baby?” She hears Christen’s voice ask from the kitchen. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help the wide grin that spreads across her face at the term of endearment. She stands up off the couch and makes her way into the kitchen, where she sees Christen standing at the island on her phone. </p>
<p>“Do you want Thai for dinner? Or maybe Italian? There’s a really good place-....” she trails off when she sees the smile and the look that Tobin is giving her. “What?” She asks, confused. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins wider and walks up to her, wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist from behind, “You called me baby,” she points out. </p>
<p>Christen tenses in Tobin’s arms and her brows furrow together. She hadn’t even realized that the word baby had come out of her mouth and now she’s feeling a little embarrassed. “I-...Is that okay?” She asks anxiously. </p>
<p>“Of course it is,” Tobin assures her. “I liked it,” she grins, placing a kiss on the side of Christen’s neck. </p>
<p>Christen just swallows and nods her head, still feeling a bit anxious over it. She knows that she’s getting more serious about Tobin and moving a lot faster than she’d planned and it’s terrifying. But her heart seems to be doing things before her brain or her anxiety can stop her. “Okay.” </p>
<p>“You aren’t going to freak out on me are you?” Tobin asks with a small chuckle. “It’s just a term, we aren’t getting married or anything,” she adds, trying to lighten the mood a bit. She can feel how anxious Christen had gotten over it and she now knows that maybe she shouldn’t have pointed it out or brought attention to it. </p>
<p>“I know, you’re right. I’m being stupid,” Christen sighs. </p>
<p>“You’re not being stupid,” Tobin says firmly, spinning Christen around to face her. “I know that you are still trying to get used to this. To have someone in your life and I know you don’t want to move too quickly. And I also know that sometimes I forget that and maybe move a little fast for you. I just like you a lot and I have trouble holding back sometimes,” she says with a smile. “But, I’m going to be more respectful of that and right now, you don’t need to freak out over a word, okay?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, okay,” Christen nods, thankful for how patient and kind Tobin has been to her. She knows that not very many people would stick around through all of this trouble. “Thank you and just so you know...” she says and then trails off, getting a little smile on her face. “I like you a lot too,” she admits quietly. </p>
<p>Tobin beams at her and leans in placing a soft kiss on her lips. “Okay,” Tobin says, pulling away from Christen. “What was this about thai? I’m starving?” She asks, wanting to get off the serious topics and give Christen a chance to relax. </p>
<p>Christen just smiles at Tobin, knowing what she’s doing and how she’s trying to move past the subject and ease her mind a bit and she appreciates it more than she knows. “I was saying we could get Thai or there’s a really good Italian place down the street we could order from,” she says, handing Tobin her phone to show her the menu. “Whatever, you are feeling,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Italian sounds great,” Tobin nods. “Oh they have tiramisu! I love tiramisu!” She grins. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and leans her head against Tobin’s shoulder, looking over the menu as well. “Just pick whatever you want and then I’ll order it,” she tells her, wrapping her arms around Tobin’s waist. </p>
<p>Tobin bites her lip, trying not to bring too much attention to the affection that Christen is showing her. It’s not like she refuses affection but Tobin has always been the one to initiate it so she feels like this is another big step for them. </p>
<p>“Okay, I have mine picked out,” Tobin tells her, “What would you like?” She asks, not really wanting Christen to move her arms from around her so she’s just going to order it for her instead of passing her the phone. </p>
<p>“Just give me the lobster ravioli,” she tells her, wanting to make things easy. “And of course your tiramisu,” she adds with a grin. </p>
<p>“Done,” Tobin grins. She pulls her wallet out of her back pocket and starts to put her credit card info in, making Christen frown at her. </p>
<p>“My card is already on there,” she informs her. “Just order it.” </p>
<p>“I want to pay,” Tobin protests. “I know you have a lot of money, but I can treat you sometimes,” she says with a smile, turning her head to place a kiss against Christen’s temple. </p>
<p>“Thank you baby,” Christen grins, giving Tobin’s waist a little squeeze.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright that's it for this chapter! </p>
<p>I know that it's a little later than I had said, but you guys have to cut me some slack! I write about 11000-12000 words per chapter which is over a 50 page essay for school so it takes some time! lol</p>
<p>Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and as always, please let me know what you guys thought! The more feedback I hear on chapters with opinions or suggestions for things to do in the future, the more inspired I get to write so help a girl out! lol Also you can just keep bugging me. </p>
<p>tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello guys! </p>
<p>Back with another chapter, but I also have a trigger warning for you guys: </p>
<p>This chapter will talk about abuse and sexual abuse towards the end. It doesn't go into detail about it, but it does get mentioned so I want you guys to all be aware of that. </p>
<p>Enjoy..</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobin leans back against the elevator wall, waiting on the doors to close so she can leave to go home for the day. She can’t help but smirk when she sees a hand reaching out to stop the doors from shutting and sees Christen slipping onto the elevator with her. She hasn’t gotten to see her much since she left her condo last night. They’ve both been pretty busy today and aren’t really supposed to be talking to each other at work anyway. </p>
<p>Though, that didn’t stop Tobin from admiring her from afar. </p>
<p>“Miss Press,” Tobin greets, letting her eyes travel down the length of Christen’s body from behind, making no movements while the doors are still open. </p>
<p>Christen just clears her throat, feeling a spark of arousal shoot to her core at Tobin calling her that, in her low and sexy voice. “Tobin,” Christen says, trying to keep her voice steady as she keeps her back to her.</p>
<p>As soon as the doors are closed though, Christen spins around and pins Tobin against the wall, pressing her lips against Tobin’s, hard. </p>
<p>Tobin lets out a gasp, surprised at the action but it doesn’t take long for her to wrap her arms around Christen’s waist, pulling her closer to her and deepening the kiss. </p>
<p>It doesn’t last much longer though, because Christen is pulling away, “Fuck,” she groans practically jumping away from Tobin like she’d been burned. “We are at work, we can’t do this,” she says, breathlessly, shaking her head at herself.</p>
<p>“You’re the one who jumped me,” Tobin says with a smirk, still just casually leaned up against the wall, looking as chill and as confident as ever. </p>
<p>Christen just takes in a deep breath to compose herself and reaches up, making sure her hair is still properly in place. “Right, sorry,” she says with a sigh. “I couldn't’ help myself,” she adds with a small shrug, just making Tobin smirk again “Stop looking so smug,” she says, rolling her eyes at the woman, before turning around to face the elevator doors again. “I hate it when you act all smug and cocky,” Christen tells her, annoyed. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins, “I don’t think that’s true,” Tobin says confidently. “I think you love it,” she adds.  </p>
<p>Christen lets out a huff and shakes her head, still not turning to look at Tobin. “Are you coming over?” </p>
<p>“I can’t,” Tobin says softly, hoping to not upset Christen. </p>
<p>“Oh okay,” Christen nods, trying to sound a lot less disappointed than she feels. And she’s happy that she’s not facing Tobin because she’s pretty sure her face would have given her away.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Tobin tells her. “I promised Alex and Allie that I’d hang out with them. They sort of called me out on never being around anymore and I didn’t really know what to say,” she explains. “I can’t exactly tell them what I’ve been doing,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen turns around and looks at Tobin once again, “Yeah, you’re right. You should go and spend some time with them,” she agrees. “I’m sorry that I’ve been taking up so much of your time,” she apologizes, knowing they’ve been spending quite a bit of time together lately. And it’s very unusual for her to want to be with another person this often. She normally likes her personal space and alone time, but lately she’s been wanting Tobin with her all the time. “I mean, it’s not like we have to spend every day together,” she adds with a small shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin just reaches out, taking Christen’s hand but then they get to the first floor and the doors open, making Tobin pull away from her. “I love spending time with you,” she tells her quietly as they exit the elevator. “I’ll text you when I finish with them and maybe I can come over after,” she suggests. </p>
<p>“Okay, but if not that’s okay,” Christen assures her. “But um, I actually have some more work to do, I just saw you getting in the elevator,” she admits with a shy smile. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins at her and really wishes that she could reach out and kiss her for being so adorable. “Okay, I’ll call you later, “ she tells her before letting Christen get back in the elevator. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin sees her friends sitting at a table on the patio of the restaurant and she smiles as she walks over to them. She really does love spending time with Christen, but honestly she’s missed hanging out with her friends. It’s just she feels so awkward keeping something so big from them and she’s afraid she’s going to break and tell them. Or just accidentally give something away. </p>
<p>She’s never been good at keeping secrets, especially from them. </p>
<p>“Hey guys,” she greets as she joins them at the table. </p>
<p>“Harry!” Allie shouts, excitedly making the rest of the restaurant turn to stare at them. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles and rolls her eyes at her loud best friend. </p>
<p>“We went ahead and ordered for you,” Alex informs her. “I told her to wait, but Allie’s hungry and wasn’t even sure that you’d show up,” she informs her with a raised brow. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns and looks over at Allie. “I said I would be here, of course I’ll be here,” she says, not knowing why Allie would think otherwise. </p>
<p>“Sorry, you’ve just been MIA lately,” she explains to her with a shrug. “I hardly ever see at home anymore,” she says with a small frown. “And I know that you are busy at work, but I feel like there is something else you are hiding from us and it’s weird,” she explains with a pointed look.</p>
<p>Tobin just sighs, sitting back in her chair, feeling a little caught off guard. She knew that her friends were getting a little suspicious of her being gone so much and not having as much time to spend with them. But she also hadn’t expected to get right into this before she even gets her drink. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Tobin apologizes “I’ve just been really busy with this new job,” she tries to tell them, hoping they will believe her. “I run all over the place doing errands for Ashlyn, a lot of times after hours,” she says, being a little proud of herself for coming up with that lie so quickly. “And I’ve been going around trying to take more photos and stuff,” she adds with a small shrug. Though, she’s not sure they’ll believe that one because she doesn’t really have any new photos to show them. </p>
<p>She definitely needs to get back into her photography and maybe even give in and make an instagram page like they’d suggested she should.</p>
<p>“Are you seeing someone? I feel like you are seeing someone and you don’t want to tell us,” Allie says, eyeing her suspiciously. </p>
<p>“I saw you talking to Shirley this morning. Are you dating her again? I thought said that didn’t work out,” Alex asks curiously. </p>
<p>“You’re not back with Christen are you?” Allie asks, before Tobin can answer the first question. </p>
<p>Her eyes widen and she looks over at Alex, who looks just as shocked, but then the wheels start turning in her head and she just looks annoyed again. “Tell me that’s not true,” Alex sighs. “She’s our boss, Tobin,” she reminds her, as if Tobin doesn’t already know that.</p>
<p>“I’m not back with Christen,” Tobin says, and can feel her heart hurting saying those words, even if she knows they aren’t true. “We ended that, I promise,” she adds, just to try and convince them further. </p>
<p>“Are you sure? Because it’s not like you to be so secretive,” Alex frowns. “You’ve never really hidden someone you are dating before,” she adds. </p>
<p>“I never said that I was dating anyone,” she argues, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>The waitress brings their order over at that moment, and Tobin smiles up at her, thanking her, not only for the food but for the distraction from this conversation. “Do you need anything else?” The woman asks, the whole group but doesn’t take her eyes off of Tobin as she bites down on her lip. </p>
<p>“I’m good,” Tobin says, oblivious to the girl’s staring as she looks down at her sandwich with hungry eyes.</p>
<p>“Okay, well just let me know,” she says with another smile towards Tobin, before heading off. </p>
<p>“I was going to ask her for more dressing,” Alex frowns, watching the woman walk away, who hadn’t even bothered to ask anyone else at the table for anything. </p>
<p>“I don’t think she would have heard you anyway,” Allie smirks. “She only had eyes for Tobin,” she grins. </p>
<p>Tobin just looks at them with furrowed brows, “What are you talking about?” She asks, confused. </p>
<p>“She was totally into you,” Allie tells her, chuckling. “I swear, we can’t take you anywhere, Tobin,” she says, rolling her eyes, but has a fond smile on her face. </p>
<p>“Maybe you should ask her out,” Alex says, eyeing the woman for her reaction.</p>
<p>“Not interested,” Tobin shakes her head, before taking a bite out of her sandwich. </p>
<p>“Come on, she was hot,” Allie says, giving Tobin a nudge. “And I definitely think she will say yes,” she adds with another smirk, thinking back to the heart eyes she’d had towards Tobin and barely even acknowledged the other two. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes, “Why are you trying to push me to go out with her?” She questions, looking up at the two of them. “I said I wasn’t interested,” she says once again, feeling a little annoyed with them. She knows they just want what is best for her and think that she needs to have a girlfriend in her life to be happy. But she really doesn’t. </p>
<p>And however, she already has one. Well, maybe not a girlfriend, but she has something. She has a Christen. </p>
<p>“Why are you so against the idea?” Alex asks, eyeing her suspiciously. </p>
<p>Tobin realizes that the girl is studying her and she can see the wheels turning in her head again. She’s trying to get a reaction out of her and she’s fishing more information on her suspicions about Christen. “Fine, I’m seeing someone,” Tobin admits, not being able to take the interrogation any longer. Plus, if she just tells them she’s seeing someone then she’s hoping that maybe they will lay off of her. </p>
<p>“I knew it,” Allie can’t help but smirk. “Who is it?” She asks, giving the girl a mischievous grin, leaning in closer like it’s some big secret. </p>
<p>Which, Tobin supposes it is. “It doesn’t matter,” she tells them. “It’s new and we are getting to know each other. I don’t need you guys stalking her on social media or scaring her away,” she tries to explain to them. “I really like her,” she adds softly, and this time it’s definitely not a lie. </p>
<p>“Just please be honest and tell me if it’s Christen,” Alex says with a small sigh. </p>
<p>“No, it’s not,” Tobin says immediately, but Alex continues to eye her. “Fine, it’s Shirley,” she lies, knowing they aren’t going to give up until she gives them an answer. “But, I’m serious, don’t go and bother her and ask her a million questions. I will introduce you guys to her when I am ready,” she says, hoping that they won’t try and talk to Shirley. Because then her entire cover will be blown. </p>
<p>She really should have just made someone new up. </p>
<p>But they probably would have pried even more if it was someone new that they knew nothing about. </p>
<p>“We won’t, we swear,” Alli tells her, putting her hands up, but it really doesn’t give Tobin much comfort. “But we have to meet her at some point,” Allie tells her, narrowing her eyes at her friend. </p>
<p>“You will, when I’m sure it’s going to be something,” she assures them, a little surprised with herself at how well she’s lying right now. She’s happy that she’s sounding convincing but she’s not sure how proud she is at the fact that she’s so easily lying to her best friends. </p>
<p>She looks over to Alex who still seems to be eyeing her suspiciously and maybe she’s not as good of a liar as she thinks she is. She just really hopes that Alex will drop it. Though, she knows Alex better than that. </p>
<p>She’s just really going to have to start being more careful. </p>
<p>But at least she doesn’t live with Alex. Though, Allie probably tells her everything and she’s sure that they talk about her. </p>
<p>“Alright, enough of my boring love life. How’s it going with Bati?” She asks, trying to get the subject off of herself. And she knows that Allie can talk about her new boyfriend for hours, so she thinks it was a safe bet to bring him up. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>After dinner, Tobin gets roped into going back to their apartment for a movie night with Alex. She’d kind of hoped to be able to go see Christen after dinner, but she does feel bad for never spending time with her friends anymore, plus she doesn’t need to do anything that will bring the attention back to her love life or get them asking questions again. </p>
<p>And she supposes it’s not the end of the world not seeing Christen for one night. They’ve been spending a lot of time together and she knows Christen already has reservations about being in a relationship with her so she figures it’s a good idea to give her a little bit of space sometimes. </p>
<p>But, that doesn’t stop her from texting her. </p>
<p>Tobin: Hey they roped me into a movie night so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see you at work tomorrow. :( </p>
<p>Christen: That’s okay, but you’re missing out. </p>
<p>Tobin just furrows her brows at Christen’s response, curious as to what she’s doing. </p>
<p>Tobin: What am I missing? </p>
<p>She puts her phone down next to her and turns her attention back to the movie that Alex and Allie had picked out. It’s some romantic comedy that she would have never picked but it’s right up her friend’s ally. And she doesn’t really mind. They’re a little cheesy but at least they don’t normally choose horror movies or something. </p>
<p>When she feels her phone vibrate against her leg, she opens up the message. And when she sees the nude picture of Christen’s pop up on her screen, her eyes widen and she drops her phone, letting out a surprised squeak. </p>
<p>She quickly picks her phone up, putting it face down as she glances over at her two friends, hoping they hadn’t caught a glimpse of it. </p>
<p>“You okay?” Allie asks curiously, both of them eyeing her. </p>
<p>“Yup,” Tobin says quickly, popping the ‘p’. She gives them an innocent smile and waits for them to turn their attention back to the movie, before she carefully turns her phone back over. </p>
<p>She bites down on her lip, as she really appreciates the photo. It’s her naked chest and her face in the photo and she’s biting her lip and looking sexy as hell. Tobin really has to restrain herself from ditching movie night and running out the door. </p>
<p>Tobin: That was mean </p>
<p>She looks at the photo for a few more seconds, before taking a deep breath and putting her phone back down, trying really hard to focus on the movie again. But then she feels her phone vibrating again and she carefully turns it over, making sure Allie and Alex can’t see the screen, just in case. </p>
<p>Christen: I thought you’d appreciate it. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks, shaking her head. </p>
<p>Tobin: I did very much. But, I’m also sitting in the living room with Alex and Allie and not with you where I can actually touch you. </p>
<p>Christen: I want you to touch me too. I want you to fuck me so bad...It’s not the same fucking myself. I need your hands...</p>
<p>Tobin groans and throws her head back against the couch. </p>
<p>“Tobin! Who are you texting?” Alex asks with a frown. </p>
<p>Tobin whips her head around to look at her two best friends that are both staring at her. She puts her phone face down so that they can’t see it, even though Alex is on the other end of the couch and Allie is on the arm chair across the room. “Uh...just...Shirley,” she lies. </p>
<p>Allie grins happily, “I knew it. You were all smiley,” she says, all giddy. </p>
<p>Tobin just blushes and turns her phone back over to text Christen back. “Tobin! You’re supposed to be spending time with us, not texting your girlfriend! You don’t see us on our phones,” Alex points out with a small glare. </p>
<p>“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Tobin says with a small sigh. “I’m just going to tell her that I have to go,” she says, looking back down at her phone. </p>
<p>Tobin: Baby you have no idea how much I want that. But, I’m getting in trouble for being on my phone so I’ll text you later. </p>
<p>Christen: Fine, I’ll just have to deal with fucking myself ;) Have fun with your friends. </p>
<p>Tobin groans again but puts her phone away before her friends can get onto her again. </p>
<p>She’s definitely going to have to get Christen back for this one. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Hey,” Tobin greets Christen early that morning with a wide smile. “I brought you a coffee,” she tells her, handing over one of the cups. </p>
<p>Christen looks at her with a raised brow and carefully takes the cup out of Tobin’s hand. “Probably not something you should continue doing, but I appreciate it, nonetheless,” Christen tells her with a small smile. </p>
<p>“Right,” Tobin nods with a frown, “Sorry. I was down there and I didn’t really think about it,” she explains, realizing now how it could look if someone sees her bringing Christen coffee when she’s not even her assistant or really in her department at all. Technically Christen is over all the departments, but Tobin doesn’t really ever work closely with her. Normally it’s just Ashlyn reporting all of the fashion things to Christen. </p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Christen waves off. “Did you have a good night last night?” She asks, setting her bag and some other things down on her desk, before turning back to Tobin.</p>
<p>“I did,” Tobin nods. “But, I would have rather been with you,” she says quietly. </p>
<p>Christen glances behind Tobin and out her office door, making sure nobody is looking at them or close enough to hear their conversation. “I did just fine on my own,” she says with a smirk, meeting Tobin’s eyes again. </p>
<p>Tobin gasps, “Mean,” she says, making Christen chuckle. “But, I know it’s a lie. I bet you were wishing it was my hand the whole time,” she whispers, stepping closer to Christen. “I bet you got so frustrated because you couldn’t satisfy yourself the way that I can,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen visibly swallows, but then stands up straight composing herself, “Don’t flatter yourself,” she says with an eye roll, though they both know that Tobin is right. </p>
<p>Tobin opens her mouth to respond, but then Mal is walking to the office with a cheery smile, “Morning guys!” She says, handing Christen a cup of coffee, but then frowns when she sees Christen already holding one. </p>
<p>“Oh, I was already down there when Christen came in and I told her I’d grab one,” Tobin says, hoping that Mal won’t think it’s too weird. “Sorry,” she apologizes, not wanting Mal to be upset that she’d wasted her time. </p>
<p>“It’s okay!” Mal says, clearly not affected. “I’m sure someone else will drink this one,” she says with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“Right,” Christen nods, a little relieved that the interaction hadn’t gone south. “Well, Tobin, me and Mal have a lot of work to get done today. Thank you again for the coffee, but in the future you can just worry about Ashlyn,” she tells her with a polite smile. </p>
<p>“Right, okay,” Tobin nods, before spinning around and leaving the office before anything else can happen or she gets herself into more trouble. </p>
<p>Christen turns her attention back over to Mal who has a frown on her face, and Christen can practically hear her thinking, “What is it, Mal?” She asks nervously, hoping she’s not getting suspicious of them as well. She already has enough people to worry about. </p>
<p>“Is Tobin trying to take my job?” She asks, worried. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help but laugh, “No,” she shakes her head. “She doesn’t want your job Mal and even if she did, I’d never replace you,” she says, giving Mal a wink. </p>
<p>Mal just blushes and nods her head, happy with the answer. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen is in her office, having a meeting with one of the companies that uses ad space in their magazine. Tobin isn’t really sure what company it is or what goes on in these meetings, but she can’t help but just watch from her place at her desk. Christen is perched up against the front of her desk with her arms folded across her chest, listening intently as the two people in the chairs in front of her talk to her, like they’re trying to sell her on something. </p>
<p>She can’t hear what they are saying but Christen has her serious work face on and she doesn’t look like she’s in the mood for any shit they are probably throwing her way. </p>
<p>It’s totally hot and Tobin can’t seem to focus on her work. She really wishes that Christen would have closed her office door.</p>
<p>Tobin gets an idea and knows that it’s probably a bad one, but she really can’t help herself. </p>
<p>She pulls her phone out with a smirk and goes through her recent photos and sends one Christen’s way. She’s pretty sure that she won’t look at it until after her meeting is over, but she finds it amusing anyway. </p>
<p>She watches as Christen glances down at her phone, figuring it was probably vibrating on the desk next to her. She watches as she reaches for it, just to glance at what the notification is making sure it’s nothing important. </p>
<p>She catches Christen glance in her direction with furrowed brows and Tobin just looks away quickly, acting like she’s doing something on her computer. And she’s actually supposed to be doing something, but she’s finding Christen a little too distracting right now. </p>
<p>After a moment Tobin looks back up and sees Christen looking back down to her phone. She’s surprised when she sees Christen holding a finger up to the two people in the office with her as she opens up her messages. </p>
<p>She really hadn’t thought that Christen would open it during her meeting. </p>
<p>She can’t help but laugh as she sees Christen’s eyes widen and she quickly shuts her phone off, putting it back down on the desk. Christen then looks over at her again, this time with a small glare and Tobin just grins innocently at her, before going back to her computer trying to actually get her work done. </p>
<p>As soon as the meeting is over and Christen is alone in her office again, Tobin gets a message. </p>
<p>She laughs to herself again, knowing that Christen is probably pissed at her, but Tobin can’t bring herself to care. She deserves it after what she did to her last night.</p>
<p>Christen: Seriously? During a meeting! </p>
<p>Tobin laughs loudly and then blushes, when she notices some people in the office looking in her direction. She just gives them an apologetic smile before going back to her cell phone. </p>
<p>Tobin: I didn’t think you’d look at your messages during a meeting. Besides, you deserve it after last night. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks again and looks towards Christen’s office where she sees the woman shaking her head, but she has a little smile on her face and Tobin knows she’s not in too much trouble. </p>
<p>Christen: You’re the worst. </p>
<p>Tobin: You don’t mean that. You loved it. </p>
<p>Christen: I did.. I always love seeing you naked. When did you even take that? </p>
<p>Tobin: Last night. I was saving it for the perfect moment...and I found it. </p>
<p>Tobin chuckles as Christen looks up at her again and sends her another glare. Tobin just sends her a wink in response, smiling innocently at her. </p>
<p>Christen: Please tell me you are coming over tonight. </p>
<p>Tobin: Definitely. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Nope,” Tobin grumbles, reaching out and grabbing a hold of Christen’s waist before she can get out of bed. She pulls her back down and on top of her, wrapping her arms around her tightly. </p>
<p>Christen just giggles, “Tobin! I have to pee,” she tells her, trying to wriggle out of her grasp. </p>
<p>Tobin turns Christen so she’s facing her and presses a passionate kiss to her lips. “Fine,” she finally sighs, pulling away from Christen, leaving the girl a little breathless. “But hurry back,” she tells her, letting her go from her grasp. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and climbs out of bed, hurrying off to the bathroom. </p>
<p>When she returns she sees Tobin just laid out on her bed still naked, the blankets all pushed off of her, not trying to be modest at all. She’s just looking at her phone and not doing anything in particular, but Christen can’t help but bite her lip as she feels arousal shoot all throughout her body. </p>
<p>Tobin looks up after a moment and sees Christen standing in the doorway just staring at her. And Tobin smirks because she can tell by the look on her face, exactly what she’s thinking and what she’s feeling. </p>
<p>“Come here,” Tobin beckons her over, putting her phone down on the nightstand table. She slides down to the end of the bed, letting her feet drop to the floor. She pulls Christen over to her to stand in between her legs and she wraps her arms around her waist. “Whatcha thinkin’ bout?” Tobin asks with a smirk, looking up at her girlfriend. </p>
<p>“Just how incredibly sexy you are,” Christen tells her. “Just casually laying in my bed all naked,” she says with a smirk, letting her fingers run through Tobin’s hair. </p>
<p>Tobin just hums and leans forward placing a few kisses against Christen’s abdomen. </p>
<p>Christen pulls on Tobin’s hair, leaning her head back and then she leans down and presses her lips against Tobin’s desperately, forcing her tongue into her mouth. She climbs onto the bed, straddling Tobin’s waist, pulling gently on her hair. </p>
<p>Tobin groans into her mouth, letting her hands slide down to cup Christen’s ass, massaging the flesh with her hands and making Christen’s hips grind into her own. </p>
<p>“Fuck, Tobin,” Christen groans, pulling away from the kiss to try and catch her breath. But then Tobin’s lips are on her neck, sucking hard and she feels all the oxygen leaving her lungs again, making it impossible for her to catch her breath. She starts to feel Tobin moving and she knows the girl is about to try and flip her over. But Christen presses down with her hips, stopping her. “No,” she tells her, shaking her head. </p>
<p>Tobin just gives her a curious look, but doesn’t move. </p>
<p>“I am in charge,” Christen tells her in a low voice.</p>
<p>Tobin swallows hard and can only nod her head in response. </p>
<p>Christen smirks at her and grabs Tobin’s hands from her ass and puts them above her head, pushing Tobin down onto her back. “What do you want, baby?” Christen asks, biting down on her lip and giving Tobin a seductive look. “Do you want my mouth or fingers?” She asks, letting one of her fingers trail down Tobin’s chest, her other hand, keeping Tobin’s writs in place. </p>
<p>Tobin’s hips buck up against Christen and she tries to move her hands, but Christen tightens her grip. And she’s pretty sure she could get her hands out of Christen’s grip if she really wanted to, but she knows that Christen wants to be in control and honestly, she’s not complaining. </p>
<p>“Use your words, baby,” Christen says giving her a sweet smile. </p>
<p>Tobin just groans, her whole body still affected by the term of endearment. “Mouth,” she finally moans, her back arching off the bed. </p>
<p>Christen grins and nods her head. “Keep your hands up here,” she instructs her, giving her a stern look. When Tobin nods obediently, Christen smirks at her and lets go of her wrists, slowly letting her hand trail down Tobin’s body, making sure she’s going to listen to her and not try and move her hands. “Good,” she smiles down at her. </p>
<p>“Christen...” Tobin groans, feeling impatient and frustrated. </p>
<p>Christen just smirks once again and leans down wrapping her lips around one of Tobin’s nipples, swirling her tongue around the hardened peak. She brings her other hand up and starts massaging the other, her fingers tweaking her nipple </p>
<p>Tobin forgets momentarily that she’s supposed to keep her hands in place and brings them down to tangle in Christen’s hair, pressing her closer to her chest. </p>
<p>But, Christen pulls away with a frown, making Tobin groan at the loss of contact. “I told you not to move your hands,” she says, gripping onto Tobin’s wrists and forcefully pinning them back down above her head. “I’m going to stop if you can’t be good,” she tells her, narrowing her eyes at the woman beneath her. </p>
<p>“I’ll be good,” Tobin breaths out, her hips bucking up into Christen, desperately. She’s never really been one to let someone else dominate her in the bedroom, but she can’t lie and say that seeing Christen like this isn’t extremely sexy. </p>
<p>“Good,” Christen nods, letting go of Tobin’s hands again, watching her for a moment to make sure she’s going to stay still. </p>
<p>When she’s satisfied, she leans back down pressing a kiss to Tobin’s sternum, and starts trailing her tongue down Tobin’s abs.</p>
<p>Tobin does everything in her power to keep her hands above her head, but not touching Christen is proving to be extremely difficult. “Chris...” she groans, as she feels Christen moving lower to where she really wants her but at an agonizingly slow pace. </p>
<p>Christen just smirks against Tobin’s skin, continuing her path down. She can feel the heat radiating off of Tobin and it’s making her own arousal spike. She just clenches her thighs together, ignoring her own throbbing as she sinks down to the floor, getting onto her knees in front of Tobin.</p>
<p>She pulls Tobin’s body towards her so that she’s perched on the edge of the bed and spreads her legs out, opening Tobin up for her. “Keep your hands where I put them,” Christen reminds her in a stern voice, looking back up at Tobin.</p>
<p>Tobin groans, because she really wants to touch Christen right now, but she’s going to try really hard to do as she says. “I’ll try,” is the best that Tobin can give her. </p>
<p>Christen sits back up and glares up at Tobin, “Move and I stop,” she threatens her.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” Tobin groans, Christen’s demanding voice sending sparks straight to her core. “Okay,” she nods, breathlessly. “I’ll do whatever you want,” she adds, and normally she would want to punch herself for being so submissive but she’s way too turned on to care. </p>
<p>Christen smirks, happy with the answer and lowers her head, swiping her tongue through Tobin’s folds and up to her clit.  </p>
<p>Tobin groans and arches her hips up, frustrated when Christen pulls away again. “Christen please...” she groans, curling her hands into a fist, fighting the urge to bring them down to Christen’s head, guiding her where she needs her. “I need your mouth on me,” she begs.  </p>
<p>Christen is happy to oblige and give Tobin some sort of relief, so she lowers her head once again, her mouth finding Tobin’s clit and sucking on it, her tongue stroking the area just below it, which she knows drives Tobin crazy. </p>
<p>She pulls one of Tobin’s legs over her shoulder, giving herself more room to work and wraps her left hand around Tobin’s thigh, massaging the strong muscles there.</p>
<p>“Christen,” Tobin groans, grabbing the comforter in her fists and gripping onto it, trying really hard not to move her hands down and touch Christen. She’s pretty sure she’d implode right now if Christen stops. “Fuck...that feels so good,” she says breathlessly, her back arching.</p>
<p>After a few moments, Christen brings her fingers up, running two of them up and down Tobin’s folds, collecting some wetness, before moving her fingers up to start rubbing circles around Tobin’s clit. “You’re doing so good baby,” she tells Tobin, looking up at her approvingly. </p>
<p>Tobin moans loudly in response, her hips jerking against Christen’s hand. “Christen...” she says breathlessly. </p>
<p>“What do you need, baby?” Christen asks, rubbing tighter circles against Tobin. “Tell me what you need,” she instructs her. </p>
<p>“I need you to fuck me,” she groans. “I need your fingers inside me,” she tells her through another moan. </p>
<p>Christen grins at her and moves her fingers down, teasing Tobin’s entrance, but not going in yet, just loving how desperate Tobin’s moans are getting and how she’s pushing her hips up, trying to find some sort of friction. </p>
<p>Finally, Christen decides to put her out of her misery and leans her head back down and wraps her lips around Tobin’s clit as she inserts two of her fingers into Tobin’s dripping entrance. </p>
<p>“Oh fuck, yes,” Tobin cries out, her hips bucking up into Christen, encouraging her. </p>
<p>Christen starts thrusting her fingers in and out of Tobin, slowly building up to a quick pace that she knows Tobin needs. “Is this what you wanted baby?” She asks, placing a few light kisses against Tobin’s inner thigh before letting her tongue find Tobin’s clit again. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin moans. “Christen...please....I-....” </p>
<p>Christen doesn’t stop her fingers movements, but she looks up at Tobin, “What is it baby?” She questions, nuzzling her nose against Tobin’s thigh, loving the smell of her.</p>
<p>Tobin gasps as she feels herself getting closer to the edge, her hips starting to get a bit jerky. “I need to touch you...please let me touch you,” she begs her, her fists clenching around the comforter above her head. </p>
<p>And Christen almost wants to tell her no, but she’s here to give Tobin what she wants and she’d also be lying if she said she didn’t like the feel of Tobin’s hands in her hair, pulling it and encouraging her further. “Okay,” Christen agrees, pressing a kiss against Tobin’s thigh. “You can touch me,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin lets out a sigh of relief and immediately lets her hands fall down to Christen’s head, threading her fingers through her hair and pulling her closer to her. </p>
<p>Christen takes the hint and starts pumping her fingers faster, her mouth finding Tobin’s clit again, making patterns against it with her tongue, and Tobin starts writhing against her. </p>
<p>“Oh fuck yes,” Tobin moans, her fingers pulling on Christen’s hair as she feels herself about to tumble over the edge. “You fuck me so good baby,” she groans, her breath turning ragged. </p>
<p>Christen feels Tobin start to tighten around her fingers so she doubles her efforts, clenching her own thighs together, trying to tame her own arousal. She’s so close just from having Tobin like this and hearing the moans and words out of her mouth that she’s pretty sure she’d come just by one touch from Tobin. </p>
<p>“I’m gonna come Chris...oh fuck,” Tobin breathes out, feeling her release crash over her, and her whole body start to spasm from shocks of pleasure.</p>
<p>Christen continues her movements until she feels Tobin’s body relax back onto the bed. She grins and looks up at her, letting out a humming sound, satisfied with her work and how wet her fingers are. She pulls them out of Tobin and sucks them into her mouth, moaning at the taste of Tobin on her tongue. “You always taste so good,” she groans, clenching her thighs harder together.</p>
<p>Tobin lets out a deep breath, trying to get her breathing under control as she feels another spark or arousal shoot through her watching Christen lick her fingers, making sure she doesn’t miss anything. “Jesus, you’re so fucking sexy,” she tells her breathlessly. “Get up here,” she instructs her, reaching down to pull Christen on top of her. </p>
<p>Christen falls on top of Tobin, straddling the woman’s waist and propping herself up on her hands. </p>
<p>“Fuck, I can feel how wet you are,” Tobin groans, reaching down to grab Christen’s ass, pushing her to grind against her. “You’re soaked,” she groans, feeling it all over her lower stomach as Christen grinds her hips down against her. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a moan, her hips jerking against Tobin, “I need you to fuck me baby,” she practically begs, letting her forehead drop against Tobin’s shoulder. “Please...touch me.” </p>
<p>Tobin definitely isn’t going to say no to that. She slides her left hand around from Christen’s ass to her lower stomach and slides down further, letting her fingers glide through Christen’s folds. </p>
<p>“Inside,” Christen pants against her ear. “Fuck me,” she asks again, though the tone of her voice is more demanding than questioning. </p>
<p>Tobin easily slips two fingers inside of Christen and just looks down in between their bodies watching in awe as Christen starts rolling her hips, riding her fingers, still in control, even though she’s the one being fucked. </p>
<p>And Tobin has never been more turned on. </p>
<p>“Yes...” Christen moans, into Tobin’s ear, just spurring the girl on. </p>
<p>Tobin slides her thumb around and starts rubbing circles against her clit as Christen continues to thrust herself on Tobin’s fingers. “You’re so sexy baby,” Tobin whispers into Christen’s ear. “I love watching you like this. Watching you take control and ride me,” she says, making Christen moan loudly. “Does that feel good baby?” </p>
<p>“Yes...fuck, Tobin...” she groans, her hips jerking faster. </p>
<p>Tobin pulls her right hand off of Christen’s ass and brings it up, tangling her fingers in Christen’s hair, before pulling it, knowing that Christen likes it when she pulls her hair. And it gets the reaction she wanted, because Christen cries out in pleasure as Tobin pulls her hair enough to jerk her head up off of her shoulder. </p>
<p>Tobin leans forward and presses her mouth against Christen’s pulse point, sucking hard against her skin as she gives Christen’s hair another tug. </p>
<p>“I’m coming,” Christen pants out, her legs starting to shake. </p>
<p>Tobin just continues her motions until she feels Christen’s whole body tense up on top of her and her jaw go slack with a silent scream. “That’s it baby, let go,” Tobin whispers into her ear, placing soft kisses against the skin that was turning slightly purple now. </p>
<p>After a few moments, Christen’s hips slow their movements and then eventually stop, besides the occasional jerk as she feels tremors of pleasure still coursing through her body. </p>
<p>Christen collapses on top of Tobin, letting out a deep breath and Tobin can feel her smiling against her skin. </p>
<p>“That was so sexy,” Tobin tells her. “I need to let you be in charge more often,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and lazily picks her head up off of Tobin’s shoulder, looking down at her. “I told you that I like to be in charge,” she reminds her, thinking back to their first night. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, nodding her head. “I guess I can let you be in charge sometimes,” she tells her with a playful look on her face. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes but smiles down at the girl, leaning down and pressing their lips together. </p>
<p>“But, now it’s my turn to take charge again,” Tobin tells her, surprising Christen and flipping her onto her back. </p>
<p>Christen just lets out a gasp at the unexpected movement and then smirks up at Tobin. “Show me what you’ve got,” she challenges, reaching up and pulling Tobin’s face to her, pressing their lips together again. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin pulls Christen over to her and wraps her arms around her from behind, snuggling into the girl’s neck, as they lay in bed later that night. “Don’t you need to get home?” Christen asks through a yawn. </p>
<p>“No, it’s okay,” Tobin assures her, tightening her hold on Christen. </p>
<p>But Christen frowns and turns over in Tobin’s arms so that she’s facing her. “I thought you said they were getting suspicious and you couldn’t sleep over here anymore?” She questions, confused. “We really don’t need them getting suspicious Tobin. I want you to stay too but- </p>
<p>“I took care of it,” she says, nuzzling her face into the pillows, feeling exhausted and not really up for arguing with Christen. She just wants her to relax and cuddle with her. </p>
<p>“What do you mean you took care of it?” Christen asks a bit nervously. “Tobin, would you please look at me, this is serious,” she tells her, a little annoyed that Tobin seems to be so casual about all of this. Just a couple of days ago her friends were onto them and now all of a sudden it’s over or Tobin doesn’t seem to care. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and opens her eyes, looking up at Christen. “I uh...I told them I was dating Shirley,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Christen frowns at her, “Oh,” she says simply, not really knowing what to say to that. </p>
<p>Tobin pulls herself up, propping her body up on her elbow, looking down at Christen with a soft smile, “Hey I’m not actually dating her,” she assures her. “But they were getting suspicious and kept asking if I was seeing someone and why I kept sneaking away and then Alex asked if I was seeing Shirley again and I just said yes to get them off my back,” she shrugs, like it’s no big deal. “Now, I can be with you whenever I want and they’ll just think that I’m with her,” she explains, pretty proud of her plan. </p>
<p>But, Christen is still frowning. “Well Shirley works at the office,” Christen tells her. “What if Alex talks to her or Allie comes in and talks to her and she tells them that you are lying. That’ll look even more obvious,” she tells her with a sigh. </p>
<p>“They wont,” Tobin assures her, though she’s still not positive on that. “I asked them to leave her alone. I told them it was new and we are figuring it out and I don’t want them getting involved until I know it’s something real,” she explains. </p>
<p>Christen scoffs at that, “And you think they are going to listen? I don’t know them that well, but from what I’ve heard about them they don’t seem like they respect privacy or like to listen to rules,” she says, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t really disagree with that. </p>
<p>“And what? You’re just going to talk to Shirley and flirt with her at work to save your cover?” She asks, sitting up on the bed and moving over to the edge, searching for some clothes. She throws a T-shirt over her head and runs a hand through her hair, taking in a deep breath, trying not to get too worked up over this.</p>
<p>“Are you jealous?” Tobin asks with a smug grin, moving closer to Christen to wrap an arm around her waist. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen says sternly, her tone letting Tobin know that she’s pretty annoyed with her right now. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’m sorry,” Tobin sighs. “But what was I supposed to say? I’ve never been in this situation before, I don’t exactly know what I’m doing here,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Christen nods her head, and turns to look back at Tobin. “I know...I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing either,” she admits. “This is all just stressing me out,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin sits up behind Christen and wraps her arms around her waist, letting her chin rest on Christen’s shoulder. “What can I do?” She asks softly, placing a kiss on the back of her shoulder, trying to soothe her. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Christen says honestly. “I want you Tobin, but I also know this is so stupid,” she says, shaking her head. “I just...what are we going to do? Where is this going to go? Are we going to have to hide forever?” She asks, feeling frustrated. “We can’t have a real relationship,” </p>
<p>Tobin takes in a breath, trying to wake her sleepy brain up, not really expecting all of these questions and such a serious conversation this late at night and after spending most of the night having mind blowing sex. </p>
<p>But she knows that Christen is spiraling and she needs to try and be there for her. </p>
<p>“Christen...I don't know what we are going to do but we are going to figure it out,” she says with confidence. “Right now, we just have to keep doing this. We have to be careful and I have to...well, act like I’m dating someone else,” she says, and she cant see Christen’s face but she knows that she’s frowning. </p>
<p>“Maybe you should date someone else,” she says quietly. </p>
<p>Tobin’s brows furrow and she gets a little annoyed with Christen’s response. She’s tired of Christen pushing her away and trying to get her to end this. “We’ve talked about this, Chris,” she says with a sigh. “I’m here and I want you and I’m not going to let you push me away,” she says firmly. “I don’t want Shirley and yeah, maybe I’ll have to talk to her some at work if Alex is around but it’s not going to mean anything. And, Shirley did say that she wants to be friends with me so maybe we can just talk and go get coffee or hang out sometimes, as friends,” she says with a small shrug. </p>
<p>Christen frowns even deeper and turns around to look at Tobin, “You’re going to be friends with her?” </p>
<p>“Well, yeah...I mean, I don’t see why not. She’s nice and she knows that I’m not interested in her. She asked me if we could just be friends,” she answers. “Do you not want me to be friends with her?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Christen shrugs. “I mean, I guess you can be friends with whoever you want,” she mumbles, standing up from the bed. </p>
<p>“Christen, don’t do that,” Tobin chastises. </p>
<p>“Do what?” Christen asks, spinning around to look at Tobin, throwing her hands in the air. “She obviously wants more from you than a friendship and I know that you know that,” she says knowingly. “But, whatever Tobin. Go hang out with her if you want,” she says, shaking her head and walking out of the bedroom. </p>
<p>Tobin just groans and quickly throws a T-shirt on and follows Christen out of the room. She sees her trying to open a bottle of wine, but she’s not exactly succeeding. </p>
<p>“Let me help you,” Tobin says softly, trying to take the bottle out of her hands. </p>
<p>But, Christen snatches it away, “I’ve got it,” she says angrily. </p>
<p>“Why are you getting so upset, Christen?” Tobin asks softly. “So what if she wants more than a friendship? I don’t,” she states. “Don’t you trust me?” She asks, and notices Christen visibly flinch at that. </p>
<p>And then it hits her, Christen doesn’t trust her. </p>
<p>“You don’t, do you?” She asks, feeling a little hurt. </p>
<p>Christen still can’t get the bottle open and just throws the bottle opener on the counter out of frustration, still not answering Tobin’s question. </p>
<p>“Did I do something to make you not trust me or- </p>
<p>“Tobin, it's not you,” Christen finally says. “I don’t trust anyone,” she tells her honestly. “And no, you haven’t done anything. You have been perfect, too perfect,” she says with a small sigh. “You’ve been here and patient and I’m just...I’m so fucked up and you don’t deserve any of this,” she tells her honestly. “Me not trusting you is my problem, it’s nothing that you have done,” she tries to assure her. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, trying to process everything, though she still doesn’t like the way Christen is talking or where this seems to be going. She thought they’d moved past Christen trying to sabotage them or push her away, but obviously they haven’t. </p>
<p>Tobin moves around the kitchen island and stands next to Christen, gently putting her arm around her, making sure that Christen isn’t going to pull away from her. And when she feels Christen lean into her, she just wraps her arms more securely around Christen, pulling her into a hug. “It’s okay,” Tobin says softly. </p>
<p>“It’s not okay,” Christen says sadly. “You haven’t done anything to deserve this,” she says, burying her face in Tobin’s neck. “You’re so amazing,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just holds her close for a few moments, really considering what she’s about to ask of Christen and if she really should. But she decides to just go for it. “Christen,” she starts softly. “I know that you don’t like talking about it and you definitely don’t have to, but would you tell me about your ex?” She asks, and can feel Christen tense up in her arms. </p>
<p>“Tobin...” she says, pulling away slightly. “I-...I don’t know if I can,” she admits. </p>
<p>“Well you don’t have to, I won’t be upset,” she assures her. “I just want to understand you better,” she explains. She knows that it is a lot to ask and she’d never force Christen to tell her but she wants to know everything about Christen. Even the ugly stuff. “And Christen, I’m just here to listen and to be here for you, I won’t judge you for anything,” she says gently. “And maybe it’ll help if you talk about it,” she suggests softly. </p>
<p>Christen nods and pulls away completely from Tobin, moving into the living room and sitting on the couch with a heavy sigh.</p>
<p>Tobin follows her and carefully sits down next to her, giving her a bit of space, not really knowing if she wants Tobin to be close to her right now or not. </p>
<p>“I don’t really know where to start,” Christen says, laughing nervously. </p>
<p>Tobin just reaches out, grabbing Christen’s hand, giving her a comforting squeeze. “Wherever you want. You can tell me as much or as little as you are comfortable with,” she assures her. “I just want to be here for you, Christen,” she adds softly. </p>
<p>Christen takes in a deep breath and releases it slowly. “Um.. well, we grew up together. He was my best friend since we were really little,” she informs her. “And then when we got older he asked me out and I said yes. I mean, he was my best friend and all the other girls were getting boyfriends and it seemed like what I was supposed to do and I figured if I had to have one, he’d be the best option,” she explains with a small shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin just watches her with soft eyes, just letting Christen take her time to tell her story. </p>
<p>“I never really felt like how the other girls would describe how good having a boyfriend was. They were all so giddy and so love struck and wanted to be around them constantly. I never felt that towards him or any other boy and I honestly thought that there was something wrong with me,” she says, laughing bitterly. “Anyway, I didn’t say anything and he seemed so happy so I just went with it and went through the motions, hoping that one day, I’d actually feel the way the other girls were feeling and be as happy as they seemed. But it never happened,” she says softly. </p>
<p>She takes in another deep breath, looking up at the ceiling to collect her thoughts and Tobin gives her hand another comforting squeeze, letting her know she’s there for her and she’s listening. </p>
<p>“I met some girls in college on the soccer team that were gay and I mean, of course I’d been around some gay people before, but there weren’t actually that many that were open and out in high school and I wasn’t really friends with them,” she starts to explain. “But, I got close to these girls and I don’t know...things just started clicking for me,” she says. “I got a crush on one of my teammates and all of a sudden, I felt what all of those other girls had been talking about when they were talking about their boyfriends. It felt right and everything clicked and I realized that I was gay,” she says, looking over at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her a small smile and scoots closer to her, offering her a little more comfort if she needs it. </p>
<p>But, Christen looks straight forward again and continues talking, “So anyway, I knew that I had to tell him. It wasn’t fair for me to stay with him when I knew that I didn’t love him the way he loved me. And I knew that it was going to break his heart and I really didn’t want to do that, but I had to. I was never going to be happy with him,” she says, tears starting to form in her eyes. “So one night, I braved up and I told him everything. I told him that I didn’t love him in that way and that I liked girls and I told him it wasn’t his fault and that I felt terrible but I told him we couldn’t be together,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin watches as she pauses her story and takes a shaky breath. “You’re okay,” Tobin says softly, carefully putting an arm around her. “I’ve got you,” she assures her, wanting her to know that she’s here for her if she wants to continue. </p>
<p>Christen gives her an appreciative smile but then looks away again, not being able to look at her while she talks about this. “He was angry...like really angry,” she says, shaking her head and trying to will the tears away. “He told me that it wasn’t true and that I was confused and all of these other horrible things...” she says softly. “And then he uh...he told me that he could help me and that he would show me that it wasn’t true and that I really wanted him,” she says, pausing as a few tears escape her eyes. “He forced me to have sex with him, even when I tried to fight him off and told him that I didn’t want him like that. He started to get really aggressive so I-...I just let him...” she says, shaking her head, feeling ashamed of herself. </p>
<p>Tobin feels tears welling up in her own eyes at Christen’s story, but wipes them away, trying to be strong for Christen. </p>
<p>“I should have stopped him and I should have left him but, I didn’t,” she says, angry with herself. “I was so insecure and so shy and timid at the time. I just let him tell me what I was feeling and tell me what I wanted and I let myself believe him,” she says, tears, falling freely from her face now. “I stayed with him for years and he continued to do it. Anytime he thought I was going to leave him, he’d hit me or force himself on me and tell me that nobody else would want me and he’d tell me that I was sick and I just needed him to remind me of what I really want,” she says sadly. “I was so weak,” she says, shaking her head. </p>
<p>“Hey, no,” Tobin says, not being able to sit in silence anymore. “You are not weak,” she tells her firmly. “You are so strong,” she says, but Christen just shakes her head. </p>
<p>“No, I’m not. I let it happen for years, I let him control me and take advantage of me and I never did anything about it. I lost everything because of him. He was the reason that I stopped playing soccer,” she reveals, bringing a hand up to wipe away her tears. “He would get so upset at me being around all those girls and he’d say terrible things about them and call them dykes and say that I don’t need to be around them because they are trying to brainwash me,” she says with a bitter laugh. “He told me that college was fine, but I couldn’t be a professional player and that being an athlete isn’t something that women should do and it’s all just a bunch of lesbians,” she says, feeling more tears rush down her face. “So I quit,” she says, defeated. “I gave up my dream.” </p>
<p>Tobin takes in a shaky breath of her own, not really knowing what she can say to Christen right now. She knew that she had a bad relationship and she’d assumed that it involved some sort of abuse, but she really had no idea how bad it was. “I am so sorry that happened to you, Chris,” she says softly, rolling her eyes at herself because she knows that’s probably not anything Christen needs to hear and she needs to come up with something better than that. She’s just still at a loss. “He’s a terrible human being and you didn’t deserve any of that, “ she tells her. “But, Christen you are anything but weak,” she says firmly, wanting Christen to believe her. “You were a kid and you were scared and in a horrible situation. Nobody will think you are weak for not standing up to him. That’s a really hard thing to do and unfortunately there are thousands of women who go through the same thing and never get the courage to leave. But you did,” she says, pulling Christen’s hand into her lap, holding it tightly. “You are so strong, Christen,” she says, reaching out and gently turning Christen’s head towards her so she’s looking into her eyes. </p>
<p>But Christen can’t keep eye contact and pulls her head away from Tobin’s hand, looking away again. “I never even turned him in or told anyone about it,” she sighs, feeling angry with herself again. “I told my parents and I lived with them for awhile, but I told them that I didn’t want to press charges or do anything, no matter how much they tried to convince me,” she sighs. “I just know how these things end,” she says sadly, knowing that majority of the time nothing ends up happening to the men anyway. “I was away from him and I was satisfied with that, but I know it wasn’t enough. I should have said something,” she says, burying her face in her hands. </p>
<p>“Hey, it’s okay,” Tobin says softly. She wraps her arms around Christen’s body and lets her chin rest on the girl’s shoulder. “I am so proud of you for getting away from him. You are so strong and honestly, I’m in awe of you,” she says, and Christen just shakes her head, letting out a self deprecating laugh. “Hey, I’m serious,” Tobin says firmly, feeling another tear escape from her eye. “I’m proud of you,” she says softly, placing a gentle kiss to Christen’s shoulder. </p>
<p>“Well you shouldn’t be,” Christen sighs, shaking her head again. </p>
<p>“But, I am,” Tobin says, holding onto her statement. “And I’ll tell you that every day if I have to,” she assures her, kissing her neck softly. “You’re amazing, Christen,” she whispers, tightening her grip on the woman. “Look at what you have accomplished in your life. You didn’t let any of that stop you,” she says, trying to convince Christen that she’s as amazing as Tobin truly believes that she is.</p>
<p>Christen just sighs, not really in the mood to keep arguing with Tobin and she knows that they’re just going to keep running in circles. So instead, she leans into Tobin’s embrace and lets her head rest against Tobin’s, enjoying her comfort. “Thank you for listening,” she says softly. </p>
<p>Tobin just squeezes her waist again, “Thank you for telling me,” she says back just as softly. “I know that you don’t trust me yet and I understand that it’ll take some time, but I’m here baby. I’m going to treat you the way you deserve to be treated and I’m going to prove to you every day that you are worth it and that you can trust me,” she tells her.</p>
<p>Christen wants to tell her that she definitely doesn’t deserve her and Tobin is way too nice and good for her, but she doesn’t. She knows that Tobin is just going to say otherwise and argue with her. And honestly, even if she doesn’t think Tobin should be with her, she’s happy that she is. </p>
<p>She turns her head and places a soft kiss against Tobin’s temple. “Can we go to bed?” She asks softly, feeling the exhaustion of the day, catching up to her. She just wants to curl up in bed with Tobin and let her hold her. </p>
<p>“Yeah, of course,” Tobin nods, moving to get off the couch. She reaches her hand out for Christen to take and helps her up off the couch. “Come on, baby,” she says, putting her arm around her and guiding her to the bedroom. </p>
<p>They get all situated in bed, with Christen lying her head on Tobin’s chest, Tobin’s arms wrapped securely around her. </p>
<p>“Can I take you on a date?” Tobin asks quietly, into the dark room. She doesn’t hear a response from Christen and thinks that maybe she’d already fallen asleep. </p>
<p>But after a moment, Christen shifts a bit, “We can’t go on a date, Tobin,” she says sadly. </p>
<p>“No, we can’t go out in public,” Tobin corrects. </p>
<p>Christen picks her head up off of Tobin’s chest and looks at her curiously. “What did you have in mind?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I don’t know yet, but I’m going to plan something and take you out on a real date,” she says with confidence. “You’ll love it,” she assures her. </p>
<p>“I’ll love doing anything with you, Tobin,” Christen says softly, laying her head back down on Tobin’s chest. </p>
<p>Tobin just smiles widely, holding Christen closer to her and placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you guys for reading! I was a little nervous about putting the abuse stuff in there so hopefully you guys like it and still would like for me to continue with this story and the journey they are on. Please let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! </p>
<p>Also, I'm not a huge fan of writing sex scenes so that was a little treat for you guys LOL </p>
<p>Tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter Ten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello all! </p>
<p>Just another warning after last chapter. Christen's ex is mentioned a couple of times. There is even less detail and less talk about it than the last chapter but the abuse is sort of mentioned again. </p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobin walks into Christen’s office with a wide smile on her face, “Morning,” she greets her, not even thinking twice about walking into her office. </p>
<p>Christen furrows her brows and looks past Tobin out into the rest of the office floor to see if anyone is looking at them suspiciously, but they’re all paying attention to their own work and nobody seems to be giving them a second glance. She knows she’s being a little paranoid about all of this, and it shouldn’t be a big deal for one of her employee’s to come into her office, but she can’t help it. “What are you doing?” She asks, turning her attention back over to Tobin. </p>
<p>“Oh, well Ashlyn wanted me to give you this,” she says, handing over some rough edits for one of the photo shoots coming up in the next issue of the magazine. “And also, I wanted to tell you to cancel any plans you have tomorrow,” she tells her with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns at her, “Tobin, next month’s issue is launching in just a few days, I can’t. I have to be here, we have a lot to do,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>“But, it’s Saturday,” Tobin frowns. </p>
<p>“And? I always work on Saturdays,” she reminds her. “Maybe not a full day but I’m usually here doing something,” she further explains. “And when it’s the end of the month, there is a lot to get done,” she adds. “I have to make sure everything is done and perfect or if we need to make any quick changes.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Tobin says with a small pout. “Well, what about Sunday?” She asks, hopefully. </p>
<p>“What are you planning?” Christen asks curiously. </p>
<p>“It’s a surprise,” Tobin tells her simply. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns deeper, “I don’t like surprises, Tobin,” she informs her. And it’s the truth. Just blindly following someone and having no idea where they are going or what they are going to be doing gives her a terrible amount of anxiety. And she knows that it’s a part of her control problem and she needs to work on it, but it doesn’t change the fact that it sometimes causes panic attacks. </p>
<p>“I just want to take you on that date,” Tobin tells her. </p>
<p>Christen’s eyes glance back behind Tobin once again, being sure that nobody is paying attention to them or may have overheard their conversation, but nobody still seems to be paying them any attention. “Okay, well what do you have planned?” She questions </p>
<p>“Come on, I want to surprise you,” Tobin practically whines. “I promise it’s nothing crazy or bad,” she tries to assure her. “It’s really not a big deal but I think you’ll love it,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay well, I can probably be done around here by like 3 or 4,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just shakes her, “No I need a full day,” she protests.</p>
<p>Christen just sighs and leans back in her chair, looking at Tobin with narrowed eyes. She wants to tell her there is no way she can get out of work all day long, but the pout on Tobin’s face is making that really hard. “Tobin...I don’t know if this is a good time for me to take a whole day,” she tells her gently. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns and sits down in one of the chairs across from Christen’s desk. “It’s never a good time,” Tobin sighs. “You are always working,” she argues, with a small eye roll. </p>
<p>“Yeah well this job is sort of demanding,” Christen retorts, feeling a little annoyed. “I can’t just take off whenever I want,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Sure you can, you’re the boss,” Tobin shrugs. “And I don’t think this place is going to go up in flames if you just take one day to yourself,” she tries to reason. “And, I don’t want you to be on your phone the whole time, but we can make a deal that you can check up on everything every so often and if there really is an emergency then you can deal with it,” she tries to reason. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen groans, running her hands over her face. She knows that she works too much but honestly it’s never really been a problem. She’s always been alone and she’s never had to think about anyone else or make time for anything else. Work has always been a welcome distraction from everything in her life or even a reminder that she is alone. But now she’s not, and she knows that she needs to work on making more time for Tobin. It’s just a little more difficult than she thought it would be. “Okay fine,” she sighs. “We can go Sunday. But if anything comes up then I’m dealing with it and we may have to leave whatever we are doing,” she negotiates. </p>
<p>“Fine, but it has to be literally like this place is on fire or something,” Tobin replies. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and shakes her head, “We’ll see,” she tells her knowing that she can’t promise that a work emergency won’t come up. Especially with their news section and stories constantly developing or breaking, she never knows when something is going to come up that may need her attention. </p>
<p>“I guess I’ll take the deal,” Tobin says, rolling her eyes a bit. </p>
<p>“Good, now go get back to work. The more you help Ashlyn accomplish today, the less she will have to do on Sunday,” she informs her. </p>
<p>Tobin jumps out of her chair at that and nods her head, “You’re right, I’m on it,” she says, before rushing towards the door of Christen’s office, only to almost collide with Ali who is about to come in. “Oh, sorry,” Tobin apologizes, stepping aside so that Ali can come in. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Ali smiles at the energetic girl that she’d almost collided with. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she adds, glancing between the two women. </p>
<p>“Oh, I was just dropping something off for Ashlyn,” Tobin explains to her with a slightly awkward smile. </p>
<p>Ali just nods and then turns back to Christen, “Hey so I know you never come but me and Ash are hosting the dinner party to celebrate this month’s issue next weekend and I’m here to invite you anyway,” Ali says with a smile. </p>
<p>“That sounds fun,” Tobin perks up, hearing about the party. </p>
<p>Ali just laughs at her, “You are welcome to come as well, Tobin,” she assures her. </p>
<p>“Awesome,” Tobin grins and then both of the women look towards Christen. </p>
<p>“Oh...um...probably not,” Christen declines. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her an unimpressed look and Christen just narrows her eyes at her, before quickly putting her gaze back on Ali, hoping she hadn’t noticed the small interaction. “That’s what I figured, but we hope you’ll eventually change your mind,” she tells her, her smile still bright. “Anyway, I’m going to get back to work,” she says, before leaving the office once again. </p>
<p>Tobin turns back to Christen, who is already shaking her head, “No, I’m not going,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Come on, it’ll be fun!” She says with a grin. “We can hang out together without it being weird,” she tries to explain. </p>
<p>“Um no, we can’t,” she replies. “And you being there, is just another reason for me not to go,” she points out. “If people see us talking or if we slip up and do something, everyone will see,” she explains. “We can’t risk something like that.” </p>
<p>“We will be extra careful,” Tobin assures her. “I’d say that I won’t even talk to you but I think that would look even more suspicious,” she says matter of fact. “And come on, you should really get out more and do stuff like this. Your staff loves you!” She tells her with a grin. </p>
<p>“They don’t love me,” Christen shakes her head. “They respect me as their boss but that’s about it. Most of them I think are actually kind of scared of me,” she informs Tobin. “I’ve heard some things and a lot of people just think I’m a cold bitch,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin furrows her brows, “I’ve never heard anyone call you that,” she frowns. She definitely would say something, if she ever heard anyone speaking of Christen that way.</p>
<p>Christen just shrugs, “It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me. I’m here to do a job, not be everyone’s friend,” she says with a frown. And for the most part that is true, or so she likes to tell herself. In reality, a part of her does miss actually having friends and it’s not like she actually wants everyone to believe she’s a bitch. </p>
<p>But she’s convinced herself that she’s better off alone. No friends and definitely no relationships. </p>
<p>Obviously, the latter is crumbling before her eyes. </p>
<p>“Just think about it,” Tobin requests, with her puppy dog eyes. </p>
<p>“Get back to work Tobin,” Christen says firmly, though she has a little smile on her face. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin glances over at Christen who is on the other side of her couch, flipping through the binder of photos that Tobin had given her earlier today from the photo shoot that her and Ashlyn had done just a couple of days ago. </p>
<p>It wasn’t the first photo shoot that Tobin had gotten to be on set for, however Ashlyn had let her be more involved with this one and she’d truly enjoyed it. It made her remember what she really loves to do and how much she wants to do it. And she’d really love to be able to do it for this magazine. </p>
<p>They’d had some clothes from a designer and were shooting an ad campaign and the designer had basically let them and the photographer direct the entire thing. They’d used models of all different races and all different sizes. It’s a shoot that Tobin can actually be proud of unlike some of the shoots she’d been forced to do for the previous magazine she’d worked for which was just all size 2 white women with blonde hair and big boobs. </p>
<p>It was hard to get through honestly, and she’d wanted to quit so many times but she also knew that she needed a job. </p>
<p>She’s just happy she eventually got the courage to stand up to the men there and has gotten away from that toxic environment. </p>
<p>She couldn’t be more happy here at Re-imagine. </p>
<p>“Which are your favorites?” Tobin asks curiously, scooting closer to Christen and looking over some of the photos. </p>
<p>Christen just lets out a hum, flipping through some more of the pages, “They’re all amazing,” she admits. “I love this shoot a lot,” she adds with a soft smile. </p>
<p>“You have to pick,” Tobin pushes her, giving the woman a little nudge. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs, “Okay,” she sighs, and flips through a few more pages, thinking about all of her options. “Probably these three,” she narrows it down, showing them to Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins widely at her, obviously happy with her choices. </p>
<p>“What?” Christen asks curiously. “Why do you look like you’re up to something?” Christen asks, confused. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs her shoulders, the grin still on her face. “I had a few ideas for some of the photos and Ashlyn let me direct a couple,” she admits. “I didn’t think she’d use any of them but I thought it was awesome she even let me play around with some ideas,” she explains. “But one of the three you picked is mine,” she reveals, her smile turning a bit bashful. </p>
<p>“Really?” Christen asks, surprised. </p>
<p>“Yeah, that one,” Tobin says, pointing to the photo that she’d helped direct. </p>
<p>Christen looks the photo over carefully, admiring all of the detail and thought that probably went into it, “This is amazing, Tobin,” she tells her softly, looking over at her with a smile. “It’s probably my favorite one,” she admits. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes, feeling a bit shy at the praise, “You’re biased now,” she replies. </p>
<p>“No, really. It’s beautiful,” Christen tries to assure her. “And, I just realized that I’ve never even seen any of your work,” she says with a small frown. “I mean, I know that you said you are a photographer but I’ve never even asked to see anything,” she says, feeling bad for making it seem like she didn’t care about Tobin’s work. </p>
<p>Tobin just shakes her head with a small shrug, “It’s okay,” she assures her. “But, I can show you, if you want,” she says quietly, a little nervous to have Christen appraise some of her photos. </p>
<p>“I’d love to see,” Christen smiles at her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin says, pulling her laptop out of her bag. “I don’t have a lot on here, because I save everything to external hard drives that I have at home,” she informs her. “I also have a lot of film and stuff that’s fun to use. It’s not the best for magazine work, but I really love using film when I’m just doing it for fun,” she informs her, as she starts going through some of her files to show Christen some of her photos. “Okay, here you can just scroll through and look at some. Just click on them if you want to make them bigger,” she says, passing the laptop over to Christen. </p>
<p>Christen carefully takes it from her and starts going through some of Tobin’s work. </p>
<p>And Tobin bites down on her lip, anxiously waiting for some sort of response from Christen, but she’s not really saying or doing anything. Just quietly going through her photos with a small smile on her face, narrowing her eyes every so often, focusing and possibly criticizing some of them. </p>
<p>“Can you please say something,” Tobin finally says, letting out a nervous breath. </p>
<p>Christen glances over at her and can see how tense Tobin looks. It makes her smile because she’s never really seen Tobin look nervous. She’s always so carefree and confident. “You’re amazing, Tobin,” Christen finally says, reaching over and grabbing one of Tobin’s hands. “Seriously, I had no idea that you were this talented,” she says, looking back to the photos. “And the way that you shoot some of these is so beautiful. It’s like seeing the world how you see it and it’s breathtaking,” she says softly. </p>
<p>“You really like them?” Tobin asks a bit shyly. </p>
<p>“I love them,” Christen says firmly. “You’re so talented,” she says, smiling over at Tobin. “The world definitely needs to see your work,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin just takes the laptop back, shrugging awkwardly. “Yeah well, it’s not easy becoming a well known photographer or getting jobs,” she tells her. “That’s why I’m an assistant,” she adds with a small frown. </p>
<p>“Temporarily,” she reminds her. “And I’m not saying that I have a job opening for you right now or anything but I definitely think you have a chance. Your work is amazing, Tobin and you definitely don’t need to give this up,” she says. </p>
<p>“Alex and Allie have been trying to get me to start up an instagram page with my work,” she informs her. “But, I don’t know...” she says a bit unsurely. “I don’t really know how to use social media for one. I barely even post on my own,” she says with a small chuckle. “And I don’t even know how you get followers, I mean how would people even find my page and why would anyone care about some random person that they don’t know’s photos,” she explains. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know. I don’t do much social media either,” she admits. “And I have a great social media team that runs everything at the magazine,” she adds. “But, everyone has to start somewhere. I think it’s a great idea,” she reveals. </p>
<p>“Really?” Tobin asks, still not convinced. </p>
<p>“Yeah of course,” Christen nods. “I mean it won’t hurt to try and get your stuff seen. You never know where it could lead you,” she informs her. “And maybe nothing comes out of it, but it still doesn’t hurt to try,” she explains to her. “You could possibly ask Pinoe to give you some advice. She’s great at all that social media stuff,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“What if someone else tries to poach me from you,” Tobin asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen chuckles but then turns a bit serious, “Tobin, Ashlyn loves having you as an assistant and everyone else at work seems to love you as well and it would suck to lose you, but I’d never want you to give up your dream to just stay as an assistant at my magazine,” she explains to her. “You definitely have the talent and you deserve to have it seen and have your dreams come true.” She says softly. “Besides, if you worked somewhere else we wouldn’t have to be a secret,” she adds quietly, averting her gaze. </p>
<p>“You want me to leave?” She asks, with furrowed brows. </p>
<p>“No, of course not,” Christen shakes her head. “I’m not asking you to quit, I’m just saying if some great opportunity were to come your way then maybe it’d be a win win,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess so,” Tobin sighs. “But, I’d love to be able to move up with Re-imagine, eventually. I really love what you guys do there and it’s kind of like my dream job to be a photographer for a magazine like yours,” she admits. </p>
<p>Christen nods and gives her an appreciative smile. “And we’d be lucky to have you, but I also can’t just fire the photographers we already have hired and or cancel the contracts we have with some freelance photographers,” she explains to her. “And even if we could hire you as a freelancer, we’ve always had a standard amount of years worked as a photographer and a certain level of experience. It wouldn’t look right if I hired you with none of that. It would be favoritism and it would be just because we are dating,” she explains to her with a remorseful look. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks, “You finally admitted that we are dating,” she says, nudging the girl. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes but gives Tobin a small smile, “You know what I mean,” she says, not really wanting to get into the relationship talk. She knows they are obviously dating but she’s not so sure she’s ready to put a label on it or fully commit herself to another person yet. </p>
<p>“I understand,” Tobin nods. “And I would never ask you for any special favors, I’m just saying that eventually I’d love to get a chance to move up and possibly photograph some shoots for you,” she tells her. “But anyway, let’s not think about that right now. I’ll get them to help me make a page and we'll just see what happens,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods. She grabs Tobin’s laptop out of her hands and starts looking through her photos again, not being finished. </p>
<p>“You don’t have to look at all of them,” Tobin tells her, not sure if she really wants to take the time to go through a lot of her work or if she’s just trying to humor her. </p>
<p>“I like looking at them,” Christen assures her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods with a smile, leaning back on the couch to just let Christen look at whatever she wants. </p>
<p>“Tobin?” Christen asks after a few moments. </p>
<p>“Yeah?” She asks, not looking up from her phone. </p>
<p>Christen just turns the laptop to show Tobin the photos that she’s looking at, and they are a handful of photos of herself. A couple of them are of her outside in the mornings when she’s doing yoga and meditating. A couple of them are her just sitting on the couch like they are doing right now. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Tobin blushes. “Sorry, I guess that’s kind of creepy,” she blushes. “It’s just that...you’re gorgeous and sometimes when the light hits you just right, I can’t help myself. I just see a good photo and I can’t help but capture the moment and want to keep the beauty forever,” she explains to her. “I guess I should have asked for your permission to take photos of you,” she says with a wince. </p>
<p>Christen doesn’t really seem upset though, maybe a little embarrassed. “I’ve never even seen you with your camera,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>“Surprisingly, IPhone’s take really great photos,” she tells her. “I just uploaded them and did a few things to them in photoshop,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Christen says softly, her eyes scanning each of the photos. “I don’t really like photos of myself,” she admits. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Tobin frowns, feeling like she’s crossed a line. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen shakes her head. “These are really beautiful,” she says softly, a little surprised herself. She’s never liked how she looks in photos and she’s always been a little insecure about herself, but somehow the way Tobin captures her, even makes her start to see the beauty in herself. </p>
<p>“Yeah?” Tobin asks, scooting closer to Christen to look at some of the photos as well. She glances back over to Christen and sees a tear running down her cheek. “Why are you crying?” She asks softly, reaching up to wipe away Christen’s tears, gently. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a small groan and rubs the tears away from her cheeks, “I’m sorry,” she says, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I just...I’ve never really thought of myself as beautiful or pretty or anything,” she admits, making Tobin’s brows furrow. “I’ve always been really insecure and my ex didn’t help the situation by always telling me nobody else would ever want me and all kinds of things like that,” she says sadly. “I always hate looking at photos of myself,” she tells her quietly. “But when I look at the photos that you take of me...it’s...I don’t know...it’s like I finally see myself the way that you see me,” she says softly. “You always tell me how beautiful I am and I never truly believe it but, I don’t know...these are wonderful,” she says, looking at Tobin with a sincere smile. “This is really how you see me?” </p>
<p>Tobin gives her a gentle smile and nods her head, putting her arm around Christen’s shoulders. “You are the most beautiful woman that I have ever met, Christen,” Tobin tells her warmly. “Sometimes your beauty completely stuns me and makes me speechless,” she informs her. “Which is why I couldn’t help myself and I had to capture the beauty to be able to look at it forever,” she explains. “And, I really want you to be able to see yourself the way that everyone else sees you, Christen.  You are gorgeous and I’ll spend every day trying to convince you of that and trying to make you see yourself that way,” she says, placing a soft kiss against Christen’s temple. </p>
<p>“Thank you, Tobin,” Christen says, leaning her head against Tobin’s shoulders, a few more tears escaping her eyes. “You are way too good to me,” she says with a wistful sigh. </p>
<p>“You deserve the world, Chris,” Tobin tells her firmly. “I’m just lucky that I get the chance to offer you anything,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>“You do a lot more than that,” Christen tells her, wrapping her arms around Tobin’s waist and snuggling into her. </p>
<p>Tobin just sits back, getting comfortable and wrapping her arms tighter around Christen, holding her close to her. They see each other pretty often but most of the time they are either working, or fucking. They don’t seem to spend a lot of time just cuddling on the couch and it feels super domestic to Tobin. </p>
<p>And as much as she loves fucking Christen, because she really loves it. </p>
<p>She loves just spending this time with her, cuddled up and holding her close. It’s nice and she feels like it’s a good step in their relationship and that it’s actually more than just hooking up. They’re both so busy, mostly Christen but the only small amount of time they have together after work they seem to almost jump right into having sex. </p>
<p>But Tobin really wants to try and spend some more time like this. </p>
<p>Just together and enjoying the closeness of each other. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin wakes up Sunday morning, a wide smile on her face, feeling more awake than she ever has when first waking up in the mornings. Christen had managed to get a lot of her work done the last couple of days and she has a good feeling about today. She’s really hoping that they won’t have any distractions or any need to have to rush back to work. And she really thinks that Christen is going to enjoy her date idea. </p>
<p>Or at least she hopes she does.</p>
<p>She rolls over and isn’t surprised to see that Christen is already out of bed.</p>
<p>One day, she swears she’s going to wake up before Christen. </p>
<p>Okay, probably not. But maybe she will eventually convince her to sleep in a little with her. </p>
<p>Probably not that one either. </p>
<p>She gets out of bed and makes her way into the kitchen and sees no sign of Christen. But she sees that coffee has already been made and sees an empty mug sitting out and she knows that it’s for her, because it’s a light orange handmade mug that suspiciously appeared one morning shortly after Tobin had claimed all of Christen’s mugs were plain and boring and she’d also informed her that her favorite color was orange.</p>
<p>Christen hadn’t really commented on it when she pulled it out of the cupboard but Tobin knows for a fact that she didn’t have it previously and she must have gone and bought it for her. </p>
<p>Tobin had wanted to say something to her about it, but she hadn’t wanted to make a big deal or embarrass Christen. She knows she’s still adjusting to this whole couple thing and she’s just going to appreciate the little moments instead of calling her out on all of them or just trying to push the fact that they are a couple onto her before she’s ready.</p>
<p>And she knows that Christen knew Tobin had noticed. She’d poured her a cup of coffee into the mug with a little shy smile on her face when she slid it over to her. </p>
<p>And Tobin had given her extra kisses that morning, showing her appreciation with her lips and not her words. </p>
<p>Christen hadn’t minded. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins to herself and makes a cup of coffee for herself before making her way out to the balcony where she knows that she will find Christen. </p>
<p>And it’s then that she realizes she probably slept a little later than normal, because Christen is already done with her yoga and meditation because she’s just sitting at the table, enjoying the view while she quietly sips on her coffee. </p>
<p>“Morning,” Tobin greets, kissing Christen on the top of her head before sitting in a chair next to her. </p>
<p>“Morning,” Christen smiles softly. </p>
<p>“Are you ready for today?” Tobin asks excitedly. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles softly and shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know, you won’t tell me what we are doing,” she reminds her, raising a brow at the woman. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles into her coffee mug, “You’ll love it, I promise,” she tells her with a wink. </p>
<p>Christen just groans and throws her head back, “Just tell me, please,” she practically begs, looking over at Tobin. </p>
<p>“No way,” Tobin says with a grin. </p>
<p>“I hate you,” Christen scowls. </p>
<p>“No you don’t,” Tobin says confidently, finding the little pout on Christen’s face adorable. “But we should probably start getting ready to go. We have a long day ahead,” she says, standing up from her chair and downing the rest of her coffee, excited to get the day started. </p>
<p>“Well, how am I supposed to know what to wear?” Christen asks with a frown. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins at her knowing she thinks this is going to make her give her a clue, but she’s not going to bite. “Just wear something comfortable,” she tells her. “We aren’t going anywhere fancy,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen says slowly, standing up from her chair a bit reluctantly. She still has a bit of anxiety over not knowing where they are going or what they are going to be doing. She doesn’t like feeling so out of control of a situation but she knows how excited Tobin is and she’s really trying not to ruin it for her. “Do you need to borrow something to wear?” </p>
<p>“No, I brought a bag,” she tells her, heading back inside. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods again, still feeling a bit anxious.</p>
<p>“Come here,” Tobin says softly, pulling Christen into a hug. She kisses the side of her head and then presses her cheek against Christen’s holding her close. “I can feel how anxious you are,” she tells her softly. “If you really want me to tell you then I will,” she offers. She wants to keep the surprise but she also wants Christen to enjoy herself and if she’s this stressed out about it she just wants to put her out of her misery so she can have fun. </p>
<p>“No, it’s okay,” Christen says quietly. </p>
<p>“Are you sure?” Tobin asks, pulling away to look Christen in the eyes. </p>
<p>“I’m a little anxious about it, but I’ll be fine,” Christen assures her. “I can tell you are excited and I don’t want to ruin the day,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“You could never ruin the day,” Tobin tells her. “And it’s just a silly little surprise, it won’t make it any less special if I tell you,” she adds. </p>
<p>“No, it’s okay. Really,” Christen assures her. “I’m excited about it. Maybe a little anxious, but mostly excited,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin looks her in the eyes for a few moments, making sure that she’s telling her the truth. Once she’s satisfied, she pulls away with a nod. “Okay, let’s get ready then,” she grins. She leans in and places a kiss on Christen’s lips before quickly hurrying off to the bedroom to start getting dressed. </p>
<p>Christen can only giggle at her hyper mood and follow her into the bedroom. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Can we take your car?” Tobin asks as they make their way through the condominium lobby. “I mean, we can take mine and I’m sure it’ll be fine but it’s kind of a long drive and my car isn’t in the best shape,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Sure, but how am I supposed to drive us when I don’t know where we are going?” Christen asks, raising a brow at the woman. </p>
<p>Tobin scrunches her lips together and looks at Christen a bit mischievously. “Well, I can drive your car,” she says with a grin.</p>
<p>Christen’s eyes widen, “Uh....</p>
<p>“Come on, I’m a great driver,” Tobin says with a small pout. “And I'm sure you have great insurance,” she adds with a wink, that doesn’t make Christen feel any better. </p>
<p>“Insurance isn’t the point,” Christen points out. “It’s still a hassle to have to put it in the shop and get it fixed,” she says with a small sigh. “I‘ve never let anyone drive my car before,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“I promise I’ll be safe,” Tobin smiles. “But really it’s fine if we take mine,” she says with a small shrug. “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen just lets out a long sigh and looks over at Tobin, considering her options. “Fine,” she finally relents. “But I’m serious Tobin, you have to be careful,” she warns her. </p>
<p>“I promise,” she says, holding her fingers up in a scout's	 honor. </p>
<p>Christen just nods as she watches the valet pull her car up to the front of the building. She follows Tobin over to it and reluctantly hands her the keys once the valet gives them to her. </p>
<p>They get situated inside and Christen watches as Tobin lets her hands run up and down the steering wheel, a huge grin on her face. “I’ve never driven a car this nice before,” she admits. “This is going to be fun,” she adds, looking over at Christen with a wide grin. “How fast does this thing go?” She questions, revving the engine. </p>
<p>“Tobin!” </p>
<p>“I’m kidding,” Tobin can’t help but laugh. “I’ll drive like a grandma, I promise,” she assures her, reaching over and taking Christen’s hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. “You ready?” She asks, bringing their hands up to her lips and placing a kiss to the back of Christen’s. </p>
<p>“I guess so,” Christen grumbles. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs again and lets go of Christen’s hand to put the car into gear and head off onto the road. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>After a little over an hour, Christen is getting bored. Thankfully, Tobin hadn’t minded her answering a few work emails during the drive as long as she promised to put her phone away when they arrived. But now, Christen has answered just about everything she has to answer and has nothing else that she needs to look over or do. </p>
<p>She’d pretty much gotten everything done yesterday and not much new stuff has popped up today which is a little surprising. And she’s happy that she’s going to be able to focus on Tobin and not be distracted by work, but it’s also an odd feeling. She can’t remember the last time she didn’t have some sort of work waiting on her. </p>
<p>She puts her phone away and looks out the window, the surroundings starting to look pretty familiar and suddenly her stomach starts to feel very unsettled. “Tobin?” She asks cautiously. “Are we- </p>
<p>“We’re going home!” Tobin grins. “Well...your home,” she says with a chuckle. “I thought it’d be nice and it’s far enough from LA to where we won’t see anyone that we work with,” she explains with excitement. “I thought we could go to the beach and walk around a bit, go grab some dinner- </p>
<p>“Tobin, I don’t want to come here,” Christen cuts her off. </p>
<p>“What?” Tobin asks, confused. “I thought you’d be happy. You can show me where you grew up and- </p>
<p>“Tobin, take us back home,” Christen says, feeling her chest start to tighten. </p>
<p>“Christen, what’s wrong? You always talk about how much you loved it here and I thought it would be nice-</p>
<p>“I used to love it,” Christen interrupts her. “I don’t want to be here-...I can’t,” she says, shaking her head. “Can we please go,” she asks, clenching her hands at her side, feeling like she’s about to start having a panic attack. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’m sorry. It’s okay,” Tobin says softly, letting go of the wheel with one hand to reach over and place a gentle hand on Christen’s leg. “We can go somewhere else,” she says with a frown. “I’m sorry, I really thought you’d like it,” she says, feeling a little helpless, not expecting this reaction at all. </p>
<p>Christen just chews on the inside of her cheek, feeling terrible. She hadn’t wanted to ruin the day or Tobin’s plans but she really can’t be here. She hasn’t been back home since her mom died a few years ago. And she knows that she needs to come back and she needs to visit her family, they’re always on her case about it but today is not that day. Especially when she’d had no warning or time to prepare for it. </p>
<p>“How about we just drive north for a bit? We can still go to the beach and relax, just not here,” Tobin suggests, still trying to salvage the day. “Or we can go home, whatever you are comfortable with,” she adds softly, feeling terrible for upsetting Christen. </p>
<p>Christen takes in a deep breath and closes her eyes, trying to let the anxiety pass. “I’m sorry, Tobin,” she finally says quietly. “I’m being stupid,” she says, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to ruin our date,” she adds sadly. </p>
<p>“You’re not being stupid,” Tobin assures her. “I should have said something before just bringing you here. I didn’t know...” she trails off, not really knowing what to say. Because she still doesn’t know. Christen had only ever spoken highly of this place and she had no idea that she had an issue with it. She remembers Christen saying that she hasn’t gone home in a long time, but Tobin always just assumed it’s because she’s always so busy. </p>
<p>Obviously there is more to it than that. </p>
<p>“You couldn’t have known,” Christen says quietly. “You were just trying to do something nice and I appreciate it. I really do,” she tells her, squeezing Tobin’s hand. “I just...I haven’t been here in a long time and I don’t know...it’s just hard,” she says a bit vaguely. </p>
<p>“That’s okay. We can drive a bit further and still enjoy the day,” Tobin assures her, kissing the back of her hand, hoping to make her feel better. </p>
<p>Christen just nods and sinks down in her seat, watching the buildings of her hometown pass by, with a feeling of dread. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“So...you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want but...do you want to tell me why you can’t go back home?” Tobin asks quietly, as they sit next to each other, watching the waves of the ocean break over the sand. “Is it because of your ex? I didn’t even think about that-</p>
<p>“No,” Christen shakes her head. “I mean sort of,” she shrugs. “But he’s not here,” she tells her. “He moved a long time ago. Like Colorado or something, I think. I don’t know...I don’t keep track of him. My sister told me he moved a while ago,” she shrugs and Tobin nods, understanding. </p>
<p>“Then what is it?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs, “I don’t want to ruin our date even further,” she says with a frown, knowing the conversation isn’t the happiest conversation topic. </p>
<p>“You haven’t ruined anything and you won’t,” Tobin assures her. “I want to know you, Christen. Everything. The good and the bad,” she tells her gently. </p>
<p>Christen nods her head, letting her fingers absentmindedly play with the sand beneath them. Even being half an hour more north from home, it still reminds her of home. A home that she can’t even face anymore. “I’ll tell you about it, but not today,” she says quietly. “I just want to spend the day with you and think about happy things,” she says, looking over at Tobin, giving her a gentle smile. </p>
<p>“Okay, we can do that,” Tobin nods, giving Christen’s waist a little squeeze, “Oh! I have some kites in the bag that I brought with us,” Tobin grins. “Want to fly them?” </p>
<p>Christen gives her an incredulous look, “I haven’t flown a kite since I was a kid,” she laughs. </p>
<p>“It’ll be fun!” Tobin says, hopping up from the ground and dusting her butt off. “I’ll go grab them,” she says, before taking off, running to where they’d parked the car. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and looks back out into the ocean as she waits for Tobin to return. </p>
<p>And it doesn’t take long, and by the way that Tobin is breathing heavily, she can tell that she ran the entire way to the car and back, which just makes her laugh at her almost childish behavior. “You’re so excited over some kites,” Christen says, amused. </p>
<p>“Duh,” Tobin responds simply, pulling them out of the bag. “Here, I got you a pink one,” she says with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just takes the kite out of her hands, still eyeing it a bit warily. “Isn’t this kind of childish?” She asks skeptically. </p>
<p>“No way,” Tobin shakes her head. “Everyone loves flying kites,” she says as if it were obvious. “Come on, you’re going to love it,” she prompts her. She starts tying the string up and getting her kite ready to fly and then takes Christen’s from her and does the same. “Come on,” she says, nudging Christen to stand up with her. </p>
<p>Christen sighs, still a bit unsure, but follows Tobin with an amused smile. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“I think mine’s broken,” Christen says, frowning down at the kite that fell into the sand once again. She looks over to Tobin who is successfully flying her bright orange one with a huge grin on her face. </p>
<p>“You just have to run!” Tobin tells her, guiding her kite over to where Christen is standing. “Here, hold mine,” she tells her, passing it over. </p>
<p>Christen looks a bit unsure, worried she’s going to send Tobin’s kite sailing to the ground as well, but she takes it from her and is surprised when it stays in the air. </p>
<p>“Just guide it a little and then walk backwards or run a little if it starts to fall,” she instructs her.</p>
<p>Christen just nods and then watches as Tobin starts running with Christen’s kite, guiding it into the air. She laughs when Tobin almost stumbles from running backwards and not really paying attention to where she’s going. But, she successfully gets Christen’s kite into the air as well. </p>
<p>“Come over here!” Tobin shouts at her, waving her over. </p>
<p>Christen bites her lip and glances up at the orange kite, still flying. She starts to slowly walk backwards towards Tobin and sees the kite starting to dip, making her eyes widen. </p>
<p>“Run!” Tobin shouts, through laughter. </p>
<p>Christen picks up her pace and starts running towards Tobin, trying to keep her kite in the air and also not trip and fall at the same time. “I did it!” She shouts excitedly when she finally reaches Tobin and her kite is still successfully in the air. </p>
<p>“Good job,” Tobin grins at her. “Here, switch me,” she says, passing off the pink one back to Christen. </p>
<p>They successfully switch them over without any problems and Christen grins a bit proudly at herself. She’s surprised at how much fun and how weirdly relaxing this actually is. </p>
<p>“Can you make it dance?” Tobin asks, wiggling her brows, moving her handle around, making the kite fly in all sorts of different directions, above them. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs at her, “I think I’ll keep it simple,” she tells her. “I’m sort of a beginner here,” she adds with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs and keeps dancing hers around, almost making it drop, but she manages to keep it up. However, it starts to get a little too close to Christen’s and almost gets wrapped up together.</p>
<p>“Tobin!” Christen shouts at her, not being able to help herself from giggling. “You’re going to make mine fall!” She tells her, trying to move away from Tobin and her wild flying kite. </p>
<p>Tobin laughs, and teasingly makes hers dance closer to Christen’s before pulling it back right before they’re about to collide. </p>
<p>“Stop!” Christen says, trying to sound firm, but she can’t help but laugh at the silliness of it all. She moves further away from Tobin but the girl just keeps following her, making Christen start running to get away. “Quit following me!” She yells behind her. </p>
<p>“Stop running away from me!” Tobin retorts, chasing after Christen. </p>
<p>Christen just giggles and focuses more on trying to get away from Tobin rather than her kite in the air. It soon falls back to the ground but Christen just keeps running away from Tobin who is hot on her heels, her kite forgotten as well. </p>
<p>When Tobin catches up to her, she lets the kite fall from her hand and she wraps her arms around Christen’s waist, picking her up and spinning her around, “Gotcha,” she giggles in her ear, before letting her back down but not letting go of her.</p>
<p>“You’re mean,” Christen giggles, turning around in Tobin’s arms. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins and leans in to kiss the pout on Christen’s lips but Christen turns her head away from her, making her lips land on her cheek. “Now who’s mean?” Tobin pouts. </p>
<p>Christen just gives her a cheeky grin, “Still you,” she replies. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes, but can’t help but smile at how happy Christen looks in this moment. She wasn’t really sure how the rest of the day was going to go after she’d fucked up by taking her home. And she’s happy that it seems to be behind them and that it hadn’t ruined their day or Christen’s mood. </p>
<p>“Should we try again?” Christen asks, looking down at the fallen kites. </p>
<p>“Definitely,” Tobin nods, letting Christen go. “We’re going to be out here until you can get your own kite up,” she smirks, picking Christen’s up for her and handing it over. </p>
<p>“Fine, but no funny business,” she says, narrowing her eyes at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin just smiles and holds her hands up, surrendering. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Come on, Chris,” Tobin whines, holding her camera up to her face, trying to get Christen to look at her and pose for a photo. “Just a few,” she pleads with her. She’s snapped a few candid photos of Christen on the beach, but now she’s actually trying to get her to look at her, but she won’t cooperate. </p>
<p>“I don’t like having my picture taken,” Christen protests, refusing to turn and look at Tobin. </p>
<p>“Come on! I need some material for my new instagram page!” She tells her with a wide grin “I’m going to be a famous photographer and you’re my model,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen turns to look at Tobin and gives her an eye roll, which Tobin captures on her camera, making her laugh out loud. </p>
<p>“What?” Christen asks with a scowl. </p>
<p>Tobin just snaps another photo of her scowl, laughing and feeling very pleased with herself. </p>
<p>“Stop!” Christen shouts, running towards Tobin, trying to grab her camera away from her.</p>
<p>Tobin giggles and backs away from Christen, keeping the camera out of her reach. “These are priceless,” she giggles. </p>
<p>“I hate you,” Christen grumbles with a huff, quickly reaching out while Tobin is looking through her photos and successfully grabs the camera away from her. </p>
<p>Tobin just pouts and tries to grab it back but Christen backs away from her, scrolling through the pictures. “You can’t keep these,” she says with a frown, deleting the ones of her scowling or rolling her eyes at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs and grins at her, “I get those looks so often, I don’t need photo proof to remind me what they look like,” she giggles. </p>
<p>Christen can’t help but roll her eyes at Tobin yet again.  </p>
<p>“Yup, there it is again,” Tobin says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Take your camera back,” Christen grumbles, shoving it at Tobin’s chest. “And stop taking pictures of me!” She tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just giggles and shakes her head, “Please,” she says, giving her her best pout. “Just a few. I promise I won’t post them or anything if you don’t want me to. I’ll just keep them for myself,” she promises her. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Christen sighs. “What do I even do?” She asks a bit unsurely. She’s taken a few photos for photo shoots in the past and she’s hated every second of it. But being semi famous, she hasn’t been able to get out of doing a few of them. But even with a few under her belt, she still feels uncomfortable and never knows how to pose or how her face should look. </p>
<p>“Just look natural,” Tobin tells her, which is wildly unhelpful. “Just stand there and I’ll do all the work,” Tobin says, kneeling down and positioning herself in front of Christen to get the ocean in the back and take a few photos. </p>
<p>Christen just stands there, a bit awkwardly, moving a little when Tobin tells her to. </p>
<p>“Gorgeous,” Tobin says, standing back up, satisfied with her work. </p>
<p>Christen walks up to her and peers over her shoulder, looking at some of the photos. </p>
<p>“What do you think?” Tobin asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen just smiles and kisses Tobin’s cheek softly.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Christen loops her arm around Tobin’s and holds onto her bicep with both of her hands as they walk down the sidewalk, the beach on one side and a line of shops and restaurants on the other side. </p>
<p>“I can’t believe those stupid boys knocked over my sand castle,” Tobin says with a small pout. </p>
<p>Christen just giggles, remembering the group of guys that had been playing football on the beach. One of them jumped to catch the ball and fell right on the top of Tobin’s castle that she’d been building. “To be fair, it wasn’t really a castle,” Christen giggles. </p>
<p>Tobin just scoffs at her, “You try to build a masterpiece with no sand toys or molds,” she retorts. “I worked hard on that,” she adds, the pout still on her face. </p>
<p>Christen just giggles at her and places a soft kiss on her shoulder. “I’m sorry baby,” she soothes. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs sadly, thinking about her fallen castle. “Are you hungry? Should we grab some dinner?” Tobin asks, looking over at Christen. </p>
<p>“Yeah, we can do that,” she nods, pulling her phone out. “Should I look up restaurants and see what’s around?” She questions. </p>
<p>“Christen, we are literally surrounded by restaurants. Just pick one,” Tobin laughs. </p>
<p>Christen frowns, “But, I don’t know any of these places. What if they have like one star and are terrible. Or what if they’re super dirty and gross,” she says with a grimace. “We have to do some research,” she decides, pulling up an app on her phone to look at the ratings of places around them. </p>
<p>Tobin plucks the phone out of Christen’s hand and puts it in her pocket, making the older woman frown. “How about you live a bit adventurously today?” She questions. </p>
<p>“Well, I didn’t make you tell me where we are going today and I also let you drive my car,” she reminds her. “I think that’s enough adventure for one day,” she says, trying to reach for her phone in Tobin’s pocket, but the woman swats her hand away. </p>
<p>“Fair point,” she can’t help but smirk. “But come on, let’s just try one,” she says, hoping that Christen will go along with her. “That place looks good,” she says, pointing to a seafood restaurant a couple of buildings away. </p>
<p>“How can you possibly tell?” Christen questions. “And they have a clam wearing a hat on the sign,” she frowns. “That can’t be a good sign,” she says matter of fact. </p>
<p>“I think he’s cute,” Tobin grins, appreciating the cute sign. </p>
<p>Christen just lets out a ‘humph’, clearly not agreeing. </p>
<p>“Somehow, I forget sometimes that you’re a little Princess,” Tobin grins, smirking to herself because she knows how much Christen hates when she calls her that. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes and gives Tobin a little shove. “I have standards, it doesn’t mean that I’m a snob or a Princess,” she states matter of fact. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Tobin says, in a tone of voice that just further annoys Christen. “Where do you want to go then?” Tobin asks her, as they continue walking down the sidewalk.</p>
<p>“I don’t know, you won’t let me look,” Christen mutters. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Tobin sighs, handing Christen her phone back. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Christen says, though she still sounds a bit annoyed. </p>
<p>Tobin senses the annoyance in her voice too so she presses a kiss to the side of Christen’s head, putting her arm around the girl’s shoulders as they walk. And when Christen leans into her as she continues to look at her phone, she knows that she isn’t actually upset with her. </p>
<p>Bickering just seems to be their thing. </p>
<p>And Tobin kind of likes it. Christen is feisty and will go toe to toe with her which is something Tobin’s never really had in a relationship. </p>
<p>“This place looks good,” Christen says, holding her phone up to Tobin so that she can see. </p>
<p>Tobin looks at it for a moment and just nods her head, “We can go wherever you want baby,” she tells her softly. “Just pick a place and guide me in the right direction.” She tells her. </p>
<p>“We can go here. It’s just around the corner,” she tells her, pocketing her phone again and putting an arm around Tobin’s waist. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“You’ve never had oysters before?” Christen asks with wide eyes. </p>
<p>Tobin shakes her head, looking down at the slimy food in front of her, “No,” she says with a grimace. “It looks like snot,” she says, looking utterly disgusted. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs at her, before slurping one down. “They’re delicious,” she tells her matter of fact. “Just try one,” she prompts. She reaches out and grabs one, squeezing a lemon onto it and passing it over to Tobin to try. </p>
<p>Tobin turns her head to the side, the grimace still on her face. “I don’t know,” she says unsurely. </p>
<p>“Come on, what happened to being adventurous?” Christen asks, slightly mocking her. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes and takes the oyster from Christen with a sigh. “Fine,” she relents. “If I throw up on this table, it’s your fault,” she warns her. </p>
<p>“Stop being dramatic,” Christen replies with a smile. </p>
<p>Tobin takes in a deep breath, preparing herself and then sucks the oyster into her mouth, her face scrunching up at the texture of it on her tongue. She swallows it down and then looks over at Christen, letting it digest as she tries to decide if she liked it. </p>
<p>“And?” Christen asks with a small giggle, at the look on Tobin’s face. </p>
<p>“It’s not terrible,” Tobin replies. </p>
<p>And honestly, it tasted pretty good, but she’s never going to admit that to Christen. </p>
<p>“They’re an aphrodisiac,” Christen informs her, sucking another one down herself. </p>
<p>Tobin just hums, “I don’t get why eating snot would turn you on, but sure,” she says with a small shrug. “And anyway, I don’t think we need any help in that department,” she says, sending Christen a wink. </p>
<p>Christen just blushes, knowing Tobin is right. She knows it’s still early in their relationship but she can’t ever imagine not wanting Tobin constantly, like she does right now. </p>
<p>Though, they haven’t had sex in a few days and it’s a little strange to her. Though, she’s also enjoyed just being with Tobin and cuddling with her at night without the expectation of sex. She thinks that it’s just their relationship evolving, but she also can’t lie and say that she already misses Tobin’s touch. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Once they finish their meal, the server lays the bill down on the edge of the table and they both go to grab it, but Tobin is a bit faster and successfully grabs it before Christen. “Tobin, let me pay,” Christen protests. </p>
<p>“I asked you on this date, I’m paying,” she points out. </p>
<p>Christen chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment, “I know but this place is kind of expensive and I picked it,” she argues, feeling a little bad for saying that. However, she feels worse for picking an expensive place and then making Tobin pay for it. She’s pretty sure the place with the clam wearing a hat would have been a lot cheaper.</p>
<p>“I can pay for it, it’s not a big deal,” Tobin says with a frown. </p>
<p>“I know...I just meant that I am the one that dragged you to an expensive place, I shouldn’t make you pay for it,” she says, trying to get Tobin to see her point. </p>
<p>Tobin just reaches out and grabs Christen’s hand, “I got it. You may make more money than me, but I think I can handle a dinner,” she says, rolling her eyes a bit. </p>
<p>“I’m not trying to offend you, Tobin,” Christen says softly. </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin sighs. “Sometimes I forget that you know exactly how much money I make, considering you sign my paychecks,” she says with a small smirk, though she’s suddenly feeling a bit insecure as she thinks about that. It’s not something she’s ever realized before or thought about but suddenly she’s very aware that Christen knows exactly how much less money she makes than herself. </p>
<p>She’s just an assistant. She can barely pay her bills and she’s pretty sure that Christen is in millionaire status if her online net worth is actually correct. </p>
<p>And no, she hadn’t looked it up, but Allie did. And she didn’t hesitate to show Tobin.</p>
<p>It’s a little intimidating. </p>
<p>Christen just gives her an awkward smile, not really sure what to say to that. Money isn’t really something that she cares about but she knows that it can be an issue for some people. And she doesn’t exactly like to go around flaunting how much she makes. Though, she supposes that it’s obvious considering her home and the car she drives. </p>
<p>“Speaking of,” Tobin says with a smirk, putting her card in the book and setting it back on the table. “I think we should talk about a raise. I kind of could get used to driving a Mercedes around,” she says wiggling her brows, trying to lighten the tense mood.</p>
<p>Christen’s eyes widen and she feels a bit uncomfortable but then sees in Tobin’s eyes that she’s just joking with her so she lets out a small laugh. “We can talk about that once you’ve been there for longer than a few weeks,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Deal,” Tobin grins. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Do you want to go back to the beach for a bit, before we head home?” Tobin asks as they walk back down the sidewalk, heading towards Christen’s car that is still parked at the parking lot by the beach, just down the road.</p>
<p>“Sure,” Christen nods. “I love going to the beach at night,” she says with a smile. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, guiding them off the sidewalk and down onto the beach, which is now completely empty. </p>
<p>They walk a little ways down, getting closer to where they parked and then sit down in the sand. Tobin sits down behind Christen and spreads her legs so that Christen is snuggly between her thighs as she wraps her arms around the woman’s waist. </p>
<p>“Thank you for today,” Christen says softly, leaning back and turning her head, kissing Tobin’s jaw. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time,” she admits. </p>
<p>“Of course,” Tobin grins, giving Christen a little squeeze. “I had a really good time as well,” she tells her softly. “It felt nice being able to be out in public with you and not have to worry about anyone seeing,” she admits a little sadly. </p>
<p>“Yeah it was,” Christen agrees. And she knows she can’t constantly take off full days like this, but she’s definitely going to try and do it more often so that they can spend more time together like this. “It’s so peaceful out here,” Christen says, taking in a deep breath and letting her eyes slip closed, just enjoying the light breeze and the small of the ocean. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods her head, against Christen’s cheek and leans down, placing a soft kiss against her neck. “It’s perfect,” she whispers against Christen’s skin, moving her lips along Christen’s neck.</p>
<p>Christen tilts her head to the side, letting Tobin’s lips trail up her neck and jaw, humming with pleasure at the feeling.</p>
<p>After a moment, Tobin tightens her grip around Christen’s waist and carefully flips her over, guiding her down onto her back, Tobin hovering above her. She moves her lips up Christen’s jawline and then kisses her passionately on the lips. </p>
<p>Christen moans and arches up against Tobin, letting her fingers tangle in Tobin’s messy, wind blown hair. “I want you, Tobin,” Christen whispers against her lips, feeling her arousal spike.</p>
<p>Tobin pulls away and looks down at Christen with a raised brow, “Here?” She questions, a bit surprised that Christen would want to have sex in such a public place. Not that anyone is actually around, but you never know who could show up. And Christen has never seemed to be the daring type.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Christen nods, pulling Tobin back down and pressing their lips together again, already missing the feeling. </p>
<p>Tobin lets her hand trail down Christen’s body, stopping on her chest, massaging one of Christen’s breasts, gently in her hand, sighing at the feel of Christen under her. She feels Christen try and quicken the pace of their kiss and feels her arching up against her, starting to get a bit antsy and impatient, but Tobin slows it down, guiding their tongues together, slowly. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen finallys breathes out, frustrated with how slow Tobin seems to be taking this. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks at her and starts trailing her lips back down Christen’s neck, sucking and nipping lightly. </p>
<p>“Tobin, we have to hurry, please just fuck me,” Christen practically begs her, knowing they shouldn’t exactly just take their time when they’re in a place like this. She reaches up and starts to slide Tobin’s hand down her stomach, but Tobin stops her. </p>
<p>“Are you sure?” Tobin asks, pulling away to look down at Christen again, wanting to be sure that this is what Christen wants. </p>
<p>Christen looks a bit confused and a little frustrated as she looks between Tobin’s eyes, not really sure why she’s being so cautious. Normally she’s the more adventurous one, but right now she’s being a little timid and it’s odd. Almost like she doesn’t even want to do this, or like she’s nervous.</p>
<p>And then Christen realizes what is going on. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen shakes her head, pushing Tobin off of her. “No we shouldn’t,” she says with a small sigh. </p>
<p>Tobin’s brows furrow, at Christen’s sudden change but she doesn't really comment on it. She hadn’t really been sure that this was something that Christen had really wanted to do and she was kind of surprised that the very cautious woman was willing to have sex with her on a public beach. “Okay,” she says softly. “How about we head home and we can continue this in the bed?” Tobin asks, kissing Christen’s cheek. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Christen says, sounding a bit defeated. </p>
<p>And Tobin isn’t really sure why she’s upset. “What’s wrong?” She asks carefully. </p>
<p>Christen sighs and bites down on her lip, before shaking her head, “Nothing, let’s just go home,” she says quietly, standing up and heading for the car. </p>
<p>Tobin just follows silently behind her. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>When they get inside of Christen’s condo, Tobin watches her head for her bedroom without a word and it gives Tobin an uneasy feeling. The ride home had been pretty much silent and Tobin knew that something was wrong with her. But she has no idea what it is. </p>
<p>She thought their day had gone pretty perfectly, after they had gotten out of Christen’s home town and put that behind them. </p>
<p>But maybe she’s still upset that Tobin had tried to take her there. </p>
<p>She follows Christen into the bedroom and sees her getting undressed, her jaw tense. “Christen, what’s wrong?” Tobin asks gently, sitting down on Christen’s bed, and watching her as she carefully puts away her shoes and throws her clothes in her hamper.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Christen says quietly as she takes off all of her rings and puts them on her dresser. “I’m just tired,” she tells her. “It was a long day,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tobin nods, but she knows that there is more to it. “Okay,” she says softly. She stands up from the bed and walks up behind Christen, carefully wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist, making sure that the woman is okay with her touching her right now. “Do you want me to stay?” She asks, placing a soft kiss to Christen’s neck. </p>
<p>Christen tilts her head to the side, giving Tobin more room to work, getting a little lost in the feeling, but then she takes in a deep breath and pulls herself away from Tobin. “No, it’s okay. You should probably go home. You’ve been staying here a lot,” she points out. </p>
<p>“I like being here,” Tobin says with a frown. “Besides, you fed me an aphrodisiac at dinner,” she says with a smirk, reaching out for Christen again. “And then got me all turned on at the beach,” she adds, kissing Christen gently on the lips. “I can stay,” she assures her. “I promised you we’d continue this when we got home,” she reminds her, wiggling her brows, hoping to make the girl smile. </p>
<p>“I’m not really in the mood,” Christen tells her. </p>
<p>“Oh okay,” Tobin says, pulling away from Christen, feeling unsettled and not really sure what is wrong with Christen or why her mood changed so rapidly. She’s trying to wrack her brain of all the things she’d said tonight and why Christen would possibly be mad at her. </p>
<p>“I’m going to take a shower so I guess I’ll see you at work in the morning,” Christen says quietly. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs, not being able to take it anymore. “Christen, please just tell me what’s wrong or what I did,” she pleads. “I’m sorry if I upset you or said something-</p>
<p>“You didn’t say anything,” Christen assures her.</p>
<p>“Then what?” </p>
<p>Christen lets out a frustrated sigh and sits down on the bed, “You’re being weird,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Weird?” Tobin asks, confused, clearly not knowing what she is talking about. </p>
<p>“We haven’t had sex in three days,” she points out. </p>
<p>Tobin’s brows just furrow even more and she sits down next to Christen. “Okay...” she says slowly, not really thinking that it was that big of a deal. “You’ve just been pretty busy the last couple of days and...I don't know, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was a big deal,” Tobin says with a shrug. “I didn’t realize we had to have sex every night,” she adds, confused. Of course she loves having sex with Christen, but she wants their relationship to be more than that.</p>
<p>“It’s not just that,” Christen says with another sigh. </p>
<p>“Christen, please just tell me,” Tobin says, getting a little frustrated trying to figure this out on her own and try to basically read Christen’s mind. </p>
<p>“When you touch me and when we were kissing you...I don’t know...normally you like to take control and you’re always so eager but now it’s like you are treating me like I’m going to break,” she says, her voice shaking a bit. “Ever since I told you about what happened with my ex, you’ve been treating me differently,” she further explains. </p>
<p>Suddenly it all starts to make sense to Tobin. Though, she honestly hadn’t even realized that she’d been doing it. But now that Christen brings it up, she realizes that she sort of has. She’s been a lot more thoughtful and careful with every touch and with every kiss, wanting the reassurance that Christen is okay with it. “I guess...I guess, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” she says with an awkward shrug. </p>
<p>“When have I ever been uncomfortable when we were together?” Christen asks, looking over at Tobin. “Have I ever seemed like I didn’t enjoy everything we were doing?” She questions. </p>
<p>“Well no, but...</p>
<p>“But nothing, Tobin,” Christen says, standing up from the bed, feeling frustrated. “Nothing has changed,” she informs her. “I shouldn’t have even told you about it,” she says, folding her arms across her chest. </p>
<p>“No, I’m glad you did,” Tobin assures her, standing up as well and grabbing Christen’s hands. “I’m sorry, if I’ve been treating you differently,” she apologizes, feeling terrible about it. She really hadn’t meant to but she supposes, subconsciously she’s been doing it. </p>
<p>“If I wouldn’t have told you then nothing would be different and you wouldn’t be afraid to touch me,” Christen says, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m not just some fragile girl that is going to break if you touch me. I think we have proven that,” she says with an angry eye roll. </p>
<p>“You’re right,” Tobin nods. “I know you aren’t fragile, you are so strong and I know that,” she assures her. “I guess it just made me start thinking that maybe I had been a little too forward or maybe I’ve made you do things that you didn’t want to... I just...I don’t want to be like him,” Tobin explains to her. </p>
<p>“You’re not like him, Tobin,” Christen tells her softly. “I know that you care about me and I know that you won’t hurt me or pressure me into anything,” she says. “And I like being with you. I actually want to be with you, Tobin. It’s not the same at all. I like when you touch me and honestly, I like when you get a little rough with me,” she admits, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. “It’s hot,” she says, shrugging a bit timidly. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks at her. “It is pretty hot,” she agrees. </p>
<p>“I’m not the same person that I was when I was with him,” Christen tells her softly. “I’ve grown a lot and I’ve become stronger. I won’t ever let another person take advantage of me like that,” she says, her jaw clenching. “If you ever do anything that I don’t like or I don’t want, I’ll tell you. I promise,” she tries to assure her. “Just please, stop worrying about that, because I can’t take you looking at me with pity or thinking that I’m fragile and you have to be careful with me,” she says sadly. </p>
<p>Tobin nods her head and pulls Christen closer to her. “Okay, I promise, I won’t,” she tells her. “I’ll trust that you’ll tell me if I ever do anything that you don’t want,” she says. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods. “Thank you,” she says quietly, pulling Tobin into a hug. “I’m sorry that I shut you out earlier,” she feels the need to apologize as well. “I should have just told you what I was thinking...I was just kind of angry and feeling a little self pity,” she admits. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Tobin assures her. “We just really need to work on better communication skills with each other,” she says. “I want us to always be honest with each other, no matter what,” she says. </p>
<p>Christen pulls back slightly from Tobin, nodding her head. “I agree,” she says softly. “But, that may be a little hard for me sometimes,” she admits. “I’m not good at expressing my feelings,” she tells her.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, we just have to try,” she says with a small smile. “And, I know that it won’t change how you feel or make it easier, but I promise you that I won’t ever judge you for whatever you are feeling,” she says gently. </p>
<p>Christen pulls Tobin into another hug, feeling a weight lifted off her chest, after finally having this conversation and getting her feelings out. “Will you stay?” She asks quietly, knowing that she’d told Tobin to go home earlier. But now, she really wants her with her. </p>
<p>“Of course,” Tobin nods, kissing her temple. </p>
<p>And then without warning, Tobin lifts Christen up, making the girl gasp in surprise as she wraps her legs around Tobin’s waist. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks at her and walks her over to the bed, dropping her down onto it. She bites her lip and looks down at Christen with a hunger in her eyes, “Are you in the mood now?” She asks with a smirk. </p>
<p>“I may need some more convincing,” Christen challenges her with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes darken and she climbs on top of Christen, pinning the woman’s hands above her head, making her gasp. “I’m gonna fuck you so good, baby,” she whispers in her ear, before biting Christen’s earlobe. “So good that you’re still going to feel me all day at work tomorrow,” she growls.</p>
<p>“Oh fuck,” Christen moans, arching her back up into Tobin, happy that Tobin seems to be taking her advice and actually fucking her like she wants to be. </p>
<p>Like she needs to be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all for reading! As always, please continue to let me know what you think of the chapter and where the story is headed! also feel free to throw in a comment about something you'd like to see in a chapter! </p>
<p>tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter Eleven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! Back at it!! </p>
<p>Enjoy...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christen bites on her lip nervously as she walks up the steps to Ashlyn and Ali’s house. She really hadn’t wanted to come to this dinner party, but Tobin had convinced her that she should. And she knows that it won’t hurt to be a little social with her staff and celebrate the new issue of the magazine. But, she has never really wanted to mix business and pleasure or feel the need to make friends with her staff, however, Tobin gave her some pretty good points. </p>
<p>She’d told her that having a friendship with some of them could boost morale and make it a more enjoyable place to work, rather just fearing the boss and thinking she’s all business all the time. </p>
<p>And Christen doesn’t want everyone to fear her, but she also doesn’t think she needs them all to be her friends. And also, she’s worried if they become too close that maybe they’ll slack off or not work as hard because they think they’re all friends and can get away with things. She thinks a little fear of your boss is probably necessary. </p>
<p>Though Tobin had pointed out that just because she comes to a dinner party for the magazine, it doesn’t mean she’s going to end up being best friends with her staff. It just shows that she cares about them a little and that she doesn’t think she’s better than them. </p>
<p>And she’d never really thought about it that way. She hadn’t realized that people may think that she’s a snob or thinks she’s better than all of them because she owns the magazine and they’re just writers or assistants and other things for her. She definitely doesn’t want anyone thinking that way, because she doesn’t think that way herself. </p>
<p>And she knows that she’s not sociable, but she never really thought that people would think she didn’t like them. She’s just being professional and she felt that everyone understood that. </p>
<p>But maybe not. Maybe everyone does think she’s a snob. </p>
<p>Even Tobin has called her one. </p>
<p>She’s just not used to being in social situations and she hasn’t really hung out with friends in years. When she was with her ex, he didn’t like her hanging out with friends and then after she left him, she just decided she was better off alone. So it’s been awhile since she’d been in any social hangout and she’s really not sure how to act.</p>
<p>Plus, she barely even knows any of them. She’s pretty sure she hasn’t had hardly any personal conversations with them, except maybe Ashlyn and Pinoe. And that’s just more because they’ll start talking about themselves or something going on in their life pretty randomly. Unlike her, they’re open books. </p>
<p>And she’s the boss, she knows that she was invited but do people really want to hang out with the boss? Probably especially not now since she’s been so standoffish. They’ve probably already formed their opinions of her.</p>
<p>She lets out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head at herself, trying to push all the negative thoughts out of her head, before she turns around and leaves, deciding just to go home. </p>
<p>She knows that she’s just being a little paranoid. </p>
<p>But she can’t help it, her anxiety is out of control right now. And she’s having a hard time remembering why Tobin had convinced her this was a good idea. </p>
<p>But it probably has to do with the fact that Tobin had been naked when they were talking about it. She probably could have convinced her to do just about anything. </p>
<p>“Just knock,” she mutters to herself, staring at Ashlyn and Ali’s front door. She can hear talking from inside and some music and she knows that everyone is probably inside and having a good time. </p>
<p>But what if she ruins their fun? What if everyone gets awkward as soon as the boss comes in? </p>
<p>She should really just go back home. </p>
<p>Just when she’s about to turn back, she feels her phone vibrating in her pocket. She looks at it and sees a text message from Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin: Did you bail? </p>
<p>Christen lets out a sigh and rolls her eyes at herself again.</p>
<p>“You can do this,” she says, trying to psych herself up. </p>
<p>She doesn’t want to disappoint Tobin, and to be honest, Tobin had promised her that she’d do anything she wanted that night, if she went.</p>
<p>She couldn’t really pass up that offer. </p>
<p>Not that Tobin probably still wouldn’t do it, even if she didn’t go. </p>
<p>But, being with Tobin has made her realize that maybe she should branch out and maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world to have some friends. She thought she’d never be able to be in a relationship with anyone ever again and here she is. </p>
<p>So anything’s possible. She just has to step out of her comfort zone a bit more. </p>
<p>Though, Tobin being here is also a little bit nerve wracking as well. She just doesn’t know how she’s supposed to interact with Tobin without people being too suspicious of them. It’s hard enough acting as if she barely knows Tobin at work. But in this environment, she’s worried it may prove to be even harder. And also, like Tobin said, it would be weird if they avoided each other and didn’t talk at all, so now she’s stuck trying to figure out a balance. </p>
<p>Before she can contemplate any longer, or change her mind, the door is swinging open.</p>
<p>Crap, someone must have seen her standing out here awkwardly. </p>
<p>“Christen? You’re here,” Ashlyn says, looking surprised to see the woman standing on her doorstep.</p>
<p>Christen just gets even more nervous, and fiddles with the bottle of wine in her hand, “Uh yeah...is that okay?” She asks, feeling a bit unsure, now. Though, she stands up straight and puts her stoic work face on, hoping to cover up how nervous she actually is. </p>
<p>“Of course it is,” Ashlyn smiles. “I just really didn’t expect you to show up,” she explains. “But we are very happy you did,” she smiles. “Come in, everyone is already here” she says, stepping out of the way and ushering Christen inside the house. “Look who’s here!” Ashlyn announces as she guides Christen into the open space, where everyone is standing around the living room and kitchen. </p>
<p>There’s probably at least 15 people here, all from work. She of course recognizes everyone and knows their names, but that’s really about it. She’s never had many conversations with anyone outside of things involving work, while they’re at the office.</p>
<p>“Christen!” Ali says happily, walking over to greet her. </p>
<p>Christen notices a few other people looking confused or just surprised, and she gets the idea that she’s not exactly welcome here and it makes her anxiety spike. “Hi,” Christen greets, handing Ali the bottle of wine that she’d brought. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Ali smiles, reaching out to give Christen a hug. </p>
<p>Christen is a bit caught off guard with the gesture, but she stiffly hugs Ali back, trying not to seem as awkward as she feels. She catches Tobin’s eye over Ali’s shoulder, and the girl grins widely at her, giving her a small wave.</p>
<p>At least one person is happy that she’s here. </p>
<p>“I’m so happy you came, Christen,” Ali says, pulling away from the hug. “Make yourself at home and you know, just mingle and all that. Me and Ash almost have dinner ready,” she tells her, giving her a wide grin, before walking back into the kitchen with Ashlyn, leaving Christen to her own devices. </p>
<p>She looks around the room and then looks back over at Tobin who is standing next to the bar top in the kitchen, talking to Alex and Kelley. She has the urge to go over and join them, just because being next to Tobin right now would make her feel a bit more comfortable, but she also knows that wouldn’t be the best idea. Especially not in front of Alex.</p>
<p>She looks around and sees everyone in small groups chatting and she’s not really sure where to go. She doesn’t know her employee’s well enough to feel comfortable just abruptly walking up to them and joining in their conversation. And they probably wouldn’ want her to anyway.</p>
<p>“Hey, Christen!” She hears, making her turn to see Mal waving happily at her, and as enthusiastic as usual. </p>
<p>“Hey,” she smiles back, as Mal walks up to her. </p>
<p>“I’m surprised to see you here,” she tells her. “This is so awesome!” She grins excitedly. </p>
<p>Christen just nods, because she’s pretty sure that’s the general consensus and she’s probably going to be hearing that all night. But she also can’t help but smile at Mal’s genuine excitement. “Yeah well, Ash and Ali have been pretty persistent so here I am,” she shrugs, failing to mention the real reason she’s here. </p>
<p>It’s not like she can say Tobin promised her sexual favors. </p>
<p>“I’m glad you’re here,” Mal grins at her. “Me and Lindsey are going to take some shots, you want to join?” She asks, with excitement. “She brought tequila!”</p>
<p>“Are you even old enough?” She jokes, raising a brow at the girl. She knows that she’s actually 21, even though, barely. But she can’t help but mess with the younger girl. </p>
<p>“I’m 21, thank you!” Mal says, proudly. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and shakes her head. “I’ll do without the shot, but you guys have fun,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Mal just shrugs and heads off into the kitchen to find Lindsey to take a shot with. </p>
<p>Christen shakes her head, amused with the younger girls. </p>
<p>She’s definitely way past her partying and shots days. </p>
<p>Not really knowing what to do or who to talk to, she awkwardly makes her way over to one end of a couch that is unoccupied, and takes a seat, hoping to regroup and get her bearings. She looks around for a few awkward moments and then decides to just pull her phone out and check up on some emails. It’s a good distraction, plus, there probably actually are some things she should respond to. </p>
<p>“Hey Pressi,” she hears Pinoe’s voice and then feels herself get jostled around as the woman plops herself down on the couch next to her. “Glad you could finally make it to hang out with little ‘ol us,” she jokes, nudging Christen in the side. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes but gives Pinoe a little smile, “Well they invited me so I thought I’d stop by,” she shrugs. “I finally decided I could spare a few minutes for you guys,” she jokes back. </p>
<p>“Hey! Who knew Christen Press had jokes!” Pinoe laughs, shaking her head at the woman. “But either way, that’s great! You deserve to have a little fun,” she tells her. “You never come to these things so it’s great to finally see you. We were starting to think you didn’t like us,” she says with a wink, nudging Christen. </p>
<p>“What? No, of course not,” Christen says with furrowed brows, not wanting people to think that. “I’m just really busy and, I don't’ know, I figure people don’t want to hang out with the boss outside of work,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>“Don’t be silly. I for one have been wanting to see what you are like outside of work,” Pinoe says, wiggling her brows at her. “I bet you can get pretty crazy,” she says, nudging her dramatically. “Can I grab you something to drink?” She offers. </p>
<p>“Um, no, I’ll grab it,” Christen says, giving her a small smile, before standing up from the couch. She heads into the kitchen and stands next to Tobin, who just so happens to be standing next to all the drinks. </p>
<p>And maybe she’d used the excuse to get her own drink, just to be close to Tobin.</p>
<p>“Hey, Christen,” Tobin greets her with a smile. “Surprised to see you here,” she comments, barely being able to contain a smirk.</p>
<p>Christen wants to scoff at her, but she holds back. Instead, she just grins back at her, not being able to stop herself, because Tobin’s smile never fails to make her smile as well. But then she quickly clears her throat and tames down the smile while they’re in front of others, “Hi,” she greets back softly. “I’m just grabbing a drink,” she says, glancing in Alex’s direction. “Hi, Alex,” she greets her as well, not wanting to be rude. </p>
<p>Or suspicious. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Alex says back simply, giving her a smile. “I definitely didn’t expect to see you here,” she comments with furrowed brows. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders a bit uncomfortably, “Everyone has been pestering me to come to one of these things so I figured I should be nice and finally accept the invitation,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Alex just nods her head, thoughtfully, but doesn’t comment further. </p>
<p>Tobin feels a bit of tension between them so she quickly cuts in, “What are you having? I can make it,” Tobin offers, grabbing a glass from the counter and gesturing towards all of the different options. </p>
<p>“Oh um...just some wine,” Christen tells her softly. “But, I can grab it,” she adds.</p>
<p>“Nonsense, the boss shouldn’t make her own drinks,” Tobin says with a wink, mouthing ‘Princess’ at her.</p>
<p>Christen uses every ounce of energy she has in her to hold back an eye roll. </p>
<p>Tobin immediately goes for the Cabernet that she knows is Christen’s favorite, without asking her, and pours it into a wine glass. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Christen says softly, taking the glass from Tobin, not missing the way Alex has her eyes narrowed at them, watching them carefully. And she knows that Alex knows they’ve hooked up in the past and she knew Alex would be one of the ones they have to be careful around. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Tobin nods, with a smile. “Are you having fun?” </p>
<p>Christen just looks around the room and shrugs her shoulders a bit awkwardly, “I just got here,” she informs her. “But uh, I was talking to Pinoe, so I should get back,” she then says, not liking the way that Alex is watching the two of them.</p>
<p>“You sure you want to do that? I’ve learned first hand that she can be a little nosy,” Tobin warns her. </p>
<p>“I can handle myself,” she assures Tobin. She gives the woman a small smile, before turning around and joining Pinoe on the couch again, not really feeling comfortable talking to Tobin with Alex right there, watching their every move. </p>
<p>“I still can’t believe you’ve seen her naked,” Alex comments, turning to look at Tobin, who still has her eyes on Christen’s retreating figure. “So weird,” she adds with a small shudder. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks and looks back at Alex, “She looks so good, naked,” she can’t help but say, biting her bottom lip, just thinking about the woman naked and writhing underneath her. </p>
<p>“Gross, Tobin!” Alex just about yells, shoving her friend. “That’s our boss!”</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs even harder, shrugging her shoulders, “What? It’s true,” she says, honestly. </p>
<p>“Ugh, I hate you,” Alex groans, rolling her eyes. “I don’t want to think about that,” she groans. </p>
<p>Tobin just keeps smiling at her, unaffected by the conversation. “You don’t think she’s hot?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Alex shrugs. “I mean sure, she’s gorgeous but I’ve never really thought about her in that way,” she explains to her. “I mean, she’s my boss and honestly a really uptight and work obsessed. I’ve never thought about her actually having a life outside of work, much less having a sex life,” she says with a grimace. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes, “She’s not that bad,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Alex just shrugs and starts to make herself another drink. “She’s a brilliant writer and I love the way she runs the magazine,” she tells her. “That’s all I need to know about her,” she adds. </p>
<p>“She’s also brilliant in bed,” Tobin can stop herself from saying. </p>
<p>“I’m walking away from you now,” Alex frowns, standing up from the bar stool and leaving to go and talk to someone else. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>“So, Pressi, tell me about yourself,” Pinoe requests with a smile. </p>
<p>Christen just gives her a confused look, “You know me, Pinoe,” she says, rolling her eyes a bit. “We’ve worked together for a few years now,” she reminds her.</p>
<p>“Sure, but I still don’t know you. Not really, anyway,” Megan argues. “I mean, we work together but I don’t know anything about your personal life,” she informs her. “I mean do you have any hobbies? Are you dating someone? What do you do in your free time?” She fires away. “Do you even have a home or do you just live at the office?” She adds with a cheeky grin.</p>
<p>Christen gives her an annoyed look because obviously, she doesn’t live at the office. And Pinoe just grins widely at her, shrugging her shoulders. “Come on! It’s taken us literal years to get you to hang out with us,” she tells her, exasperated. </p>
<p>Christen takes in a breath, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the personal questions, but she does suppose that Pinoe has a point. She’s worked with a lot of these people for a long time and she knows nothing about them and they know even less about her.</p>
<p>Though it’s how she likes it. </p>
<p>She’s not an open person and maybe it shouldn’t be that big of a deal to talk about yourself to other people, but she doesn’t really like it. “Um, I do yoga, and meditation,” she informs her. “And I like to be outdoors,” she adds with a small shrug. “But, I don’t know, I don’t have much time for anything else,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>Pinoe nods her head, “I won’t comment on the fact you skipped over if you’re dating someone,” she says with a wink. </p>
<p>Christen flushes and takes a nervous sip of her wine. </p>
<p>“Can I ask you though, you’re into women right?” She asks with a smirk. “Or both, maybe?” </p>
<p>“Pinoe quit bothering her. She can fire you, you know,” Tobin says, joining the two, and sitting down on the couch, opposite them. </p>
<p>“What? I’m just curious about the boss!” She says, raising her hands, surrendering. “She wouldn’t fire me anyway. I’m too good at what I do. She wouldn’t know what to do without me,” she says, sending Christen a wink.</p>
<p>Christen chuckles and shakes her head, having no comment. Though, Pinoe is right. She’s very good at what she does and Christen wouldn’t have the first clue on how to run the social media department. She honestly hates social media and barely knows how to make a post herself. </p>
<p>She clears her throat and looks back at Pinoe, “I like women by the way,” she informs her. That’s at least one thing she’s not secretive about. Though, she doesn’t like to get into details about her dating life, she’s not hiding the fact that she’s a gay woman.</p>
<p>“I knew it!” Pinoe says, clapping her hands together. “I have a great gaydar,” she tells them both like it’s an impressive quality. </p>
<p>“No, you just assume everyone is gay,” Ashlyn chuckles, walking up behind the couch. Pinoe just shrugs, because she can’t deny the fact. “And really? You didn’t know?” Ashlyn asks with a raised brow. “She’s talked about it a lot in her old articles,” she tells them. </p>
<p>“What articles?” Pinoe asks curiously. </p>
<p>“You do know that your boss and owner of a magazine is actually a writer, right?” Ashlyn asks, looking at Megan, amused. “When she started the company she wrote most of the articles,” she informs them. </p>
<p>Christen feels her face flush a bit, as the group starts talking about her, like she’s not even here. And about her old work. She hasn’t actually written in a long time and she was in a different place when she was writing those. </p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them,” Pinoe says with a frown. </p>
<p>“I took them down a while ago,” Christen speaks up. “It was on the old site, before I hired a social media team and we changed the whole site,” she explains. “Most of what I wrote was in the old print magazines, but there were a few small articles that I had online, like just a blog kind of thing,” she further explains. “They weren’t really anything important,” she adds with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“I thought they were really good,” Alex speaks up. </p>
<p>Tobin looks at her curiously, because she’s never read anything that Christen has written and she’s pretty curious. She wants to know what they were about and what Alex could know about Christen that even she doesn’t know. </p>
<p>“You’ve read them, too?” Pinoe asks. “Well, I want to read them! Do you still have them, somewhere?” She asks, turning back to look at Christen. </p>
<p>“Somewhere,” she says with another shrug. “Really aren’t worth digging back up,” she assures her. “They were just some random musings and thoughts. I was at a different place then,” she says. “The main stories I wrote went into the actual magazine, the online stuff was just random little pieces,” she says, not really thinking that it’s worth digging back up. </p>
<p>It had been right after she’d left her ex and though she never said anything in detail, there were some darker pieces, or some that were a little sad. Though, she did also talk a lot about sexuality and how she’d come to terms with herself and accepted who she is. </p>
<p>She was just trying to connect with other women who may be struggling like she was.</p>
<p>“I’d still like to read them sometime, if you don’t mind digging them up,” Pinoe says with a small shrug. </p>
<p>“Yeah, okay,” Christen says, though she is really just hoping that Pinoe will forget about it and not ask her again. She has them saved onto a hard drive but she really never planned on reading them again. She doesn’t really like reading her own work anyway, much less stuff that she wrote during a harder time in her life. </p>
<p>“Dinner is ready guys,” Ali tells them, coming up behind the couch, next to Ashlyn. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a sigh of relief and quickly stands up, grateful for the interruption and hopefully the end of that conversation. </p>
<p>She makes her way over to the large dining room table and takes a seat next to Ali. Tobin sits down in the chair next to her and she glances over, giving Tobin a warning look. But Tobin just shrugs her shoulders and gives her a subtle wink. And Christen can’t really say anything to her so she just lets out a small sigh, turning her attention back to the rest of the group, trying not to just focus on the woman next to her. </p>
<p>She really didn’t think it’d be so hard to have to pretend she doesn’t have feelings for Tobin in front of people. </p>
<p>She’s never really been one for PDA, though she figures it’s because she’s never actually been in a relationship with someone she really likes. She’s only ever been with her ex and she hated every minute he touched her. </p>
<p>But now, she’s finding it hard not to show Tobin some sort of affection. She’s just like a magnet, drawn to her and wanting to be touching her when she’s around her, or at the very least, actually talking to her like she’s not just someone that works for her and is basically a complete stranger.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Most of the dinner goes pretty well, much to Christen’s surprise. She hasn’t done a lot of talking, but the other girls do enough talking for everyone. A lot of the time, it’s just a bunch of them talking over the other, and she’s having a hard time keeping up. Though, she’s finding it pretty entertaining. She knew just by seeing them around at work, that she likes most of the women that work for her, but now she’s starting to see that they’re all actually pretty awesome girls. </p>
<p>And they’re definitely fun to be around.</p>
<p>She could possibly even see herself being friends with some of them, or enjoying their company outside of the office.</p>
<p>She didn’t actually expect to enjoy this dinner as much as she had so far. And she still feels a little awkward and unsure of herself, but they’re treating her pretty normally for the most part. Like she’s just one of the girl’s and not their boss.</p>
<p>“So, Tobin, I hear you’re dating Shirley from the cafe in the lobby,” Pinoe says, looking over to Tobin. “She’s cute,” she says, sending Tobin a wink. </p>
<p>Christen just about chokes on her food.</p>
<p>“Oh uh, yeah,” Tobin says, subtly glancing at Christen, who now has her head down, focused on the dessert that she’s pushing around with her fork, and not actually eating. “She’s nice,” Tobin says with a small shrug. “We’re just kind of hanging out. It’s nothing serious,” she explains to them, not wanting them to make it a big deal. </p>
<p>“Nothing serious? Allie says you are over at her house every day and that you’re never at the apartment anymore,” Alex points out, raising her brow at Tobin. “Must be something a little more than casual if you guys spend that much time together,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tobin shrugs a bit uncomfortably. “I like spending time with her,” she says in a quiet voice. “But really, I don’t want to make it a big deal,” she tries to tell them, hoping they will change the subject. </p>
<p>“We should all go out one night,” Ashlyn suggests. “I’d love to meet her. I mean, as your girlfriend anyway,” Ashlyn says.</p>
<p>“Uh we aren’t girlfriends,” she says quickly, not wanting them to think it’s that serious yet “But uh...yeah, sure,” Tobin stutters, not really sure what else to say. She notices Christen looks at her, out of the corner or her eye, but she doesn't look back at her. </p>
<p>What was she supposed to say to that? </p>
<p>She couldn’t exactly say no because then they’d just question her on why they couldn’t meet her or why they can’t hang out together. Though she knows that she can’t actually go out with them all because her and Shirley aren’t in fact together. And she knows that they’ll figure that out pretty quickly when her and Shirley don’t know anything about each other. </p>
<p>Or the fact that Shirley has no idea they’re ‘dating’. </p>
<p>That would probably be a dead giveaway. </p>
<p>She’s hoping they’ll just forget about it or if they do ask, she can think of some reason to get out of it.</p>
<p>That’s a problem for later. </p>
<p>“We should all go out! It’ll be fun,” Pinoe suggests. “Maybe we can even find Pressi a hottie,” she adds with a wink. </p>
<p>Christen’s face flushes a bit, but she quickly collects herself, taking a sip of wine, wanting to take control of the conversation. “First of all, how do you know I don’t already have someone?” She asks, raising a brow at them. </p>
<p>Pinoe’s eyes light up, “Do you?” She asks, acting like it’s some big juicy secret. </p>
<p>Christen glances over at Tobin and then looks between the rest of the group, “Yeah,” she admits, surprising everyone, especially Tobin. She honestly just figured Christen would try and say she’s single.</p>
<p>“What? Why don’t we know this?” Pinoe asks, looking slightly offended. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t like to talk about my personal life,” she tells them, honestly. “Especially not at work,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Well we aren’t at work so spill,” Pinoe says with a childlike grin. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes a bit, but decides to humor them, at least a little. “We’ve just been seeing each other for a few months,” she admits. “But she’s sweet and she treats me well. And...I don’t know, I like her...a lot,” she reveals, almost shyly, subtly glancing over at Tobin, seeing her trying to hide a grin as well. </p>
<p>“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to give us?” Pinoe asks, with a dramatic sigh. </p>
<p>Christen just smirks, “Yes,” she says simply. </p>
<p>“Well, I should have known,” Pinoe says, smirking over at Christen. “She came in a few weeks ago wearing clothes that were definitely not hers,” she says, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>Christen thinks back to what she’s talking about and knows that it’s when she had borrowed Tobin’s clothes and Pinoe had commented on it. “How do you know those weren’t my clothes?” She questions, raising a brow. </p>
<p>“Because although you wear suites most of the time, they’re more feminine,” she starts to say. “And those were totally men’s clothes,” she adds. “I mean, maybe they’re yours but I’ve never seen you wear men’s clothing before,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>Tobin starts to nervously tap her leg next to her, because Pinoe had made a comment to her about the same outfit and she’s really hoping she’s not so observant that she’d put the two together. </p>
<p>Though, she’s pretty sure she would have said something by now. </p>
<p>“Anyway, that’s all you guys are getting about my personal life,” Christen says, clearing her throat, a bit uncomfortably. </p>
<p>She subtly puts a hand on Tobin’s thigh, trying to calm her nervous shaking. She gives it a little squeeze and glances over at Tobin giving her a small smile, when the girls aren’t looking at them anymore. </p>
<p>And, thankfully, the girls don’t pester her about it anymore and they soon start up another conversation, knowing they aren’t going to get any more of her. She’s also pretty sure they know better than to cross any lines or bother their boss. </p>
<p>Guess that’s one perk of being the boss in this social situation. </p>
<p>She sneaks another glance over at Tobin, who gives her a grin, biting her lip a bit to try and keep it under control. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen is sitting down on the couch in the living room, sipping on another glass of wine and watching as some of the girls play a game of Pictionary. She’d opted out, just decided to watch the chaos instead of join in, and she’s got to admit it’s pretty funny. And the girls are a lot more competitive than she knew. </p>
<p>Most of the time has been spent bickering with each other about cheating or how terrible they are at drawing. They had almost a 5 minute argument over a shark that looked like a cat.</p>
<p>She honestly thought that she would have opted to go home after dinner and not stay this long, but she’s actually enjoying herself. </p>
<p>She feels her phone vibrating in her pocket and pulls it out to see a text message from Tobin. She furrows her brows and looks up around the room and sees no sign on the woman, which confuses her. </p>
<p>Tobin: Come to the bathroom. </p>
<p>Christen looks around the room again at all the girls, biting her lip. </p>
<p>Christen: No. </p>
<p>Tobin: Come on, nobody will notice!</p>
<p>Christen sighs and looks around, noticing that all the girls are pretty caught up in the game right now and they probably won’t notice if she excuses herself to the bathroom. She hadn’t even noticed that Tobin left and she’s pretty sure nobody else did either. </p>
<p>Clearing her throat, she pockets her phone and gets up off the couch. She considers telling them that she’s excusing herself to go to the restroom, but she decides not to bring anymore attention to herself. </p>
<p>So instead, she quietly sneaks down the hallway and knocks on the bathroom door. </p>
<p>Just a second later, it swings open, revealing Tobin, who quickly pulls her inside and shuts the door behind them. </p>
<p>“Hi,” Tobin grins, wasting no time in wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist and pulling her close to her. </p>
<p>“Hi,” Christen returns, wrapping her arms around Tobin’s neck, feeling herself immediately relax, being in Tobin’s arms again. She’s been wanting to do this all night. It’s been killing her, being so close to Tobin and not being able to touch her or be close to her like this.</p>
<p>“So you really like me, huh?” Tobin asks with a cheeky grin, repeating Christen’s earlier words when talking about the person she’s dating. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes at the woman, “Who said I was talking about you?” She returns with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin gasps dramatically, “You’re mean,” she pouts. </p>
<p>Christen just giggles and pulls Tobin in for a kiss. “Yes, I really like you,” she admits, leaning her forehead against Tobin’s. </p>
<p>“I knew it,” Tobin grins, like she’d just figured out some secret. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes once again, pulling her head away from Tobin, “You could say it back, jerk,” she says, slapping Tobin’s chest. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles and tightens her grip on Christen’s waist, “I like you so much, Chris,” she tells her sincerely, pressing their foreheads together once again. After a moment, she can’t help herself and pulls Christen into another, more passionate kiss. “God, I’ve been wanting to do this all night,” she mumbles against her lips. </p>
<p>“Me too,” Christen admits, tugging on Tobin’s hair, pulling her back in. </p>
<p>Tobin’s hands slide down to Christen’s ass and she pulls her even closer to her. She trails her lips down Christen’s neck, nipping at the skin, making Christen moan softly. “I want to fuck you right here, baby,” Tobin whispers, against her skin, before biting down. </p>
<p>Christen groans and feels a spark, shoot straight down her spine and in between her legs. “Fuck,” she can’t help but groan and reaches behind her for the sink when she feels Tobin press her up against it. </p>
<p>“Can I?” Tobin asks, her hands already sliding around Christen’s waist to unbutton her pants. </p>
<p>And Christen really wants to let her, because she is extremely turned on by the thought of it. But she knows that she can’t. “No,” she says, gently putting a hand to Tobin’s chest and pushing her away. “We can’t,” she says, taking in a deep breath, trying to control her thoughts and clear the fog from her brain. </p>
<p>Tobin sighs and hangs her head, but then nods, because she knows that Christen is right, “Okay,” she says with a small pout. “I know you’re right,” she says, though a part of her really doesn’t care. </p>
<p>Christen gives her a sympathetic smile and moves away from Tobin, putting some space between the two of them, before she can get swept up in it again, “We need to get back. They’re going to notice that we’re gone,” she tells her, not exactly happy about it, herself. “And they may notice we’re both missing at the same time,” she adds. “They may get suspicious.” </p>
<p>“You’re right,” Tobin nods reluctantly. “But, one more kiss,” she says with a grin, pulling Christen in. </p>
<p>Christen can only smile against Tobin’s lips, not being able to deny her.</p>
<p>“Hey, do you want to come to my place tonight?” Tobin asks, as she watches Christen look at herself in the mirror, making sure she’s not disheveled. </p>
<p>Christen furrows her brows and looks at Tobin through the mirror. “Obviously we can’t do that, Tobin,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>“No, Allie is out of town all weekend for a soccer camp,” she tells her. “Nobody will be there,” she assures her. “I was just thinking we could hang out at my place, since we always go to yours,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“What’s wrong with my place?” Christen asks, turning around to face her. </p>
<p>“Nothing,” Tobin assures her. “But I do miss my apartment a little,” she says with a shrug. “Plus it may be a nice change of scenery.” She suggests. </p>
<p>“Your place is a mess,” Christen frowns. </p>
<p>“Yeah and your place is so clean, I get nervous every time I sit on the couch that I’m going to mess something up,” Tobin retorts. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns at her, “You don’t have to feel like that,” she says, not realizing that Tobin has felt that way. She wants her to be able to feel comfortable and at home in her place. </p>
<p>“I know. Look it’s not a big deal, but sometimes I miss my own apartment and Allie won’t be there,” she tries to explain, not wanting this to become an argument. </p>
<p>And It’s not like Christen is against going to Tobin’s, but the messiness does give her a little anxiety. Plus, even though Allie is out of town, she’s still going to have a fear that she may come home early. She’s just not sure that she’ll be able to fully relax being there. “What about Alex? What if she shows up or something,” she asks a bit nervously. </p>
<p>“Alex never just shows up. She always at least sends a text saying she’s coming over or asking what we’re up to,” she assures her. “I promise it’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>Christen just sighs, shaking her head, “Fine,” she relents, knowing it’s not fair to always expect Tobin to be the one to have to stay at an apartment that isn’t her own. She knows if they were always at Tobin’s she would miss being in her own apartment as well. And she’s going to trust that Tobin won’t put them into a bad situation. </p>
<p>“Great,” Tobin grins, leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to Christen's lips. “I’ll leave first,” she says, opening the door, to peak outside and make sure the coast is clear. She gives Christen a thumbs up and then slips out, shutting the door behind her. <br/>—-</p>
<p>“Thank you again for coming, Christen,” Ali says with a genuine smile, reaching out to give Christen another hug. And she’s still not exactly comfortable with the action, but she’s a lot less stiff than she had been the first time around. Though, that probably has some to do with all the wine. </p>
<p>“Yeah, we’re glad you finally accepted one of our many invites,” Ashlyn says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles, “Sorry about that,” she says softly. “I just kind of like to keep to myself,” she admits. </p>
<p>“Well maybe now, you’ll actually grace us with your presence more often,” Ashlyn chuckles. “We enjoyed having you,” she tells her.</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Christen agrees with a smile. </p>
<p>And she’s actually not lying. </p>
<p>“You have a Lyft?” Ali asks, to be sure. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen nods. “I took a Lyft here just to be safe,” she assures them. She really hadn’t expected to drink this much or stay for this long, but she chose to take a Lyft just to be on the safe side. She really didn’t want to have to leave her car here and worry about it in the morning. </p>
<p>“Okay, well maybe we could have dinner soon?” Ali asks with a smile. “You can bring your girlfriend,” she adds with a wink. </p>
<p>Christen flushes, “Uh yeah, maybe,” she says, not really sure what to say. “Thanks again for inviting me tonight, I had a nice time,” she tells them politely. </p>
<p>“Sure thing,” Ashlyn says, pulling her into a hug. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a small sigh, but hugs Ashlyn back, realizing that she’s going to have to get used to all the hugging if she’s going to be hanging out with those women more often. </p>
<p>“I can’t wait to meet your woman,” Ashlyn says with a wink, pulling away from the hug. “She must be pretty impressive to get you,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen feels herself blush at the compliment, “She is pretty great,” she can’t help but say. “But anyway, I’ll see you guys on Monday,” she says, before opening the door to leave.</p>
<p>As she’s getting into her Lyft, she sees Tobin getting into Alex’s car right behind her Lyft’s car. Tobin sends her a smile and a little wink before she gets in, making Christen smile as she gets in as well. </p>
<p>As soon as she gets settled into the car she feels her phone vibrating in her pocket. </p>
<p>Tobin: Still meeting at my place?</p>
<p>Christen: Yeah, as long as you’re sure it’s safe. </p>
<p>Tobin: I promise. It’ll be fine. </p>
<p>Christen: Okay. I’m going to stop at home and get a few things and then I’ll be there. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“So you’re just going to keep lying about how you’re still fucking our boss?” Alex says, almost casually as she drives down the road towards Tobin’s apartment. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she whips her head around to look at Alex, “What are you talking about?” She asks, her voice a bit shaky. She tries to rack her brain with what Alex may have seen or overheard that would lead her to make this assumption. But she’s pretty sure she hadn’t seen her and Christen in the bathroom together and other than that, they hadn’t really done anything. </p>
<p>“It’s obvious,” she points out with an eye roll. “Don’t think I didn’t miss the subtle glances and the little touches. You were taking any opportunity to be next to her or to talk to her all night,” she explains, exasperated. </p>
<p>Tobin swallows hard and shakes her head, “No, we’re not,” she tries to say, as she racks her brain for anything else to say. “Okay fine,” she sighs, making Alex glance over at her, a little surprised to see her admitting to it so easily. “We aren’t together,” Tobin says and before Alex can protest, she keeps talking. “But, I still have feelings for her and yes, I was trying to be near her and talk to her but it’s just because I like her still, and I can’t help it,” she explains, hoping it’s good enough for Alex to believe. “Christen ended it. She would never risk her career like that,” she adds for good measure.</p>
<p>Alex looks like she’s contemplating the thought for a few moments, and the silence kills Tobin. But finally, Alex nods her head with a small sigh. “Yeah, I guess I believe that,” she says quietly. “Christen loves her job more than anything,” she adds. “I didn’t even really think she had a personal life because she’s so obsessed with her job,” she adds. “And I know she’s not stupid,” she says, glancing over at Tobin. </p>
<p>“Right,” Tobin says sadly, nodding her head. She hates lying to Alex like this but she knows it’s for the best. “I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with this anyway,” she says, feeling annoyed that Alex had been basically spying on her all night. “You’re my best friend, you’re supposed to want me to be happy, not spy on me and try and get me into trouble or something,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>Alex pulls up to Tobin’s apartment and parks on the curb, before turning in her seat to look at her best friend. “I do want you to be happy, Tobin,” she tells her softly, making Tobin scoff. “No, really, I do,” she tries to assure her. “I just...you’re so talented Tobin and I don’t want you to throw that away,” she starts to explain. “I know you and you’re such a good person and when you love, you love hard,” she tells her with a smile. “But you also lead with your heart and make a lot of choices with your heart rather than your head and I don’t want you doing something stupid and messing up your entire career.” She tells her. “I mean, do you know what would happen if people found out about this, Tobin? Not only would you get fired, but you could possibly be blacklisted and never get a career doing what you want,” she tries to explain. “Or if it didn’t work out and Christen wanted to punish you, the same thing could happen,” she adds. “She could make sure nobody ever hires you.” </p>
<p>“Christen would never do that,” Tobin can’t help but say, feeling angry that Alex would even consider it. But she knows that Alex doesn’t know her like she does. So she just sighs and rolls her eyes, looking out the car window. “It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re not together so this conversation is pointless,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Alex just nods, knowing that she’d upset Tobin and she really hadn’t wanted to hurt her. She really is just trying to look out for her. “I’m sorry that it’s not going to work out, Tobin. I really am,” she says softly. “I know that you really like her and I wish that it could be different, but it can’t.” </p>
<p>“Yeah, I get it,” Tobin just about snaps.</p>
<p>“Tobin, I’m sorry,” Alex sighs, reaching out and placing a hand on Tobin’s shoulder. “But hey, you have Shirley right? She seems nice,” Alex tries to say with a smile. “Don’t throw that away because of your feelings for Christen,” she tells her. “They’ll go away,” she adds.</p>
<p>Tobin just shakes her head, not really in the mood for having to continue to lie to Alex, and definitely not in the mood to try and act like she likes someone other than Christen. She’s kind of emotionally drained. “Yeah, she’s great,” she says quietly, not really sounding convincing. “I’m tired, I’m going upstairs,” she says, opening her car door. </p>
<p>Alex just nods, “Do you want me to come up? I could stay over and keep you company since Allie is gone,” she suggests. </p>
<p>“No, that’s okay,” Tobin says, shaking her head. “I just want to be alone. Thanks for bringing me home,” she adds, giving Alex a small smile. </p>
<p>“Okay.” Alex nods. “I love you,” she says sincerely. </p>
<p>“I love you too,” Tobin can’t help but say, because no matter what, she does love the girl. And she knows that Alex is just looking out for her and not trying to be malicious. She just doesn’t always show it in the best ways. </p>
<p>She always thinks that she knows what is best for Tobin. </p>
<p>And maybe she does. Maybe she’s right. Maybe Tobin isn’t thinking clearly and she’s going to mess everything up. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Tobin’s sitting on her couch, drinking a beer and feeling sorry for herself when she hears a knock on the door. She gets up and opens it, revealing Christen, smiling brightly at her, carrying a big overnight bag that almost looks like she’d packed a suitcase for an entire week. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Christen greets, walking inside of the apartment. </p>
<p>“Hi,” Tobin returns, still not in a good enough mood to be as enthusiastic as she normally would be. “Are you planning on moving in?” She questions, taking the bag from Christen. </p>
<p>Christen blushes and shrugs her shoulders, “It’s just a few things,” she brushes off. “I like to be prepared,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles and shakes her head. “Okay. I’m going to put this in my room,” she tells her, before heading down the hallway. When she comes back, she sees Christen still standing in the middle of the living room in the same spot she’d left her. “You can make yourself at home, you know,” she tells her with a smirk. “Come sit with me,” she says, plopping down on the couch and patting the spot next to her. </p>
<p>Christen immediately walks over and joins her, curling up with Tobin and putting her head on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?” She asks quietly. </p>
<p>“Nothing,” Tobin says, with furrowed brows.</p>
<p>“I can tell you’re upset,” Christen says knowingly. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs, and starts to play with Christen’s hair, “It’s just some stuff that Alex said,” she tells her. “It’s not really a big deal,” she adds, not really wanting to get into it. </p>
<p>Christen pulls herself up off of Tobin and turns to look at her, “What did she say?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin looks away from Christen and fiddles with her hands, not really sure if she should tell her about Alex or not. She knows how paranoid Christen already is about their relationship and she really doesn’t want anything to add to it or give Christen another reason to end their relationship. </p>
<p>But she also knows that she shouldn’t hide things from her. </p>
<p>“She was saying that she noticed me looking at you and trying to talk to you all night,” she reveals, and she doesn’t miss the slight panic on Christen’s face. “She just thinks that I still have feelings for you. She doesn’t think we’re together,” she tries to assure her, leaving out the minor detail that she’d assumed the latter first. </p>
<p>“Okay..” Christen says slowly. “So what’s wrong?” She asks, knowing it has to be more than that. </p>
<p>Tobin sighs again, shaking her head. “She was just talking about how you and I can’t be together and how stupid it would be for you to risk your career like that and how she doesn’t want me choosing you over my career. She says that I think with my heart and not my head and she’s worried that I’m going to throw everything away for you,” she reveals. </p>
<p>Christen just bites her lip, looking thoughtfully at Tobin.</p>
<p>That’s a lot to take in. </p>
<p>“So, what are you thinking?” Christen asks quietly. “Do you think that she’s right? Are you having second thoughts about us?” She asks, sadly and a bit nervously. </p>
<p>“No,” Tobin immediately says. “I mean...I don’t know. I don’t want this to be over, I know that for sure, but are we being stupid?” She asks, looking helplessly at Christen. </p>
<p>“Probably,” Christen admits. “I’ve thought a lot about it and I know this is risky and I know that we probably shouldn’t, but...I can never convince myself to end things,” she tells her. “Look, Tobin,” she says with a sigh, sitting up straighter. “We’re just going to have to decide,” she tells her. “We can’t keep having this conversation and we can’t keep fearing the other is going to end this at any moment. We have to decide for a final time if we’re in this for good and if this is what we want to do,” she tells her. “And no going back after that,” she adds firmly. </p>
<p>Tobin nods in agreement, “You’re right,” she says quietly. “I know that you say you’re in this but I always get worried something is going to happen and you’re going to change your mind,” she admits. </p>
<p>“Me too,” Christen nods in agreement. </p>
<p>“Really? You worry about me ending it?” Tobin asks, a bit surprised. </p>
<p>“Well yeah,” Christen tells her. “This is a risk for you too,” she says. “And I don’t know...Alex is right. You’re so talented and you deserve to have all your dreams come true and sometimes, I just don’t think that I’m worth you throwing all of that away for and I’m just waiting on the day for you to realize that.” She says quietly. </p>
<p>Tobin reaches out and grabs Christen’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “First of all, you’re worth everything,” Tobin tells her softly, but firmly. “And second of all, I’m not throwing anything away,” she assures her. “We’re being careful,” she says. “And we’re going to figure something out. Even if I don’t continue working at Re-imagine, it doesn’t mean that my dreams are over. I’m good at what I do and I love doing it. I’ll make it happen for myself no matter what,” she says confidently. “But even if I make it big and become successful, it’s not going to mean as much or make me as happy if I don’t have you at my side,” she tells her, placing a soft kiss on the back of Christen’s hand. “I just want you. I’ll figure the rest out,” she adds firmly. </p>
<p>“We’ll figure it out together,” Christen replies, scooting closer to Tobin. “I’m in this,” she tells her confidently. “I don’t want you worrying about me changing my mind or leaving. I’m in this, okay?” She says, looking Tobin in the eyes, making sure she knows that she’s serious. “Even if the worst happens, we’ll figure this out, together.”  </p>
<p>“Together,” Tobin agrees with a smile. </p>
<p>Christen grins back at her, and leans in placing a kiss to Tobin’s lips. </p>
<p>“Alright, no more conversations like this, okay? No more asking if we’re sure,” she says, wanting them to move past this and try not to live in the fear of one of them giving up on all of this. </p>
<p>“Deal,” Tobin agrees. </p>
<p>Tobin let’s out a relieved breath and relaxes against the couch. “So, the dinner party didn’t go too bad, right?” She asks, looking over at the woman. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen says, shaking her head. “I actually had a nice time,” she admits with a smile. “Thank you for making me go,” she then says, sincerely. “I think that I really needed to hang out with people and be social. I didn’t realize how much I miss it,” she reveals. </p>
<p>Tobin just gives her a smile and pulls Christen close to her. “I believe I promised you something for going too,” she says with a wide grin, leaning down and placing a kiss on Christen’s neck. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a hum and tilts her head to the side, letting Tobin kiss her for a few moments, and then she picks her head back up. She reaches out, cupping Tobin’s face and pulls her away from her. “Yes, but tomorrow?” She asks in a small voice. “I’m tired and I kind of just want to lay here with you,” she admits. “Is that okay?” She asks, not wanting to disappoint Tobin by not wanting to have sex with her right now. </p>
<p>“Of course that’s okay,” Tobin assures her with a sincere smile. “Cuddling with you is almost better than sex,” she says with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs and shakes her head, “I don’t believe that,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin pushes Christen onto her back and climbs on top of her, setting herself between Christen’s legs and nuzzling her face in Christen’s chest. “Are you kidding? I love cuddling you,” Tobin tells her, slipping her arms between Christen and the couch, holding her close. </p>
<p>Christen just grins and starts running her fingers through Tobin’s hair, laughing when Tobin starts practically purring against her. “Can we get in bed?” She asks after a few moments, feeling herself start to drift off. </p>
<p>She feels Tobin nods her head against her and then climbs up off the couch, before turning back and offering a hand out to her. </p>
<p>Christen smiles and takes Tobin’s hand, climbing off the couch, swaying just slightly, the alcohol and tiredness, catching up to her. “Come on babe,” Tobin says softly, guiding her down the hallway and into her bedroom. </p>
<p>Christen looks around the room and notices it a bit neater than the last time she was here. She turns to look at Tobin with a questioning brow. </p>
<p>“I picked up a bit, before you got here,” Tobin shrugs, feeling a bit bashful about it. “Just don’t look in the closet,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen just giggles and pulls her clothes off, before climbing into Tobin’s bed, snuggling up under her covers. “Come on,” she says impatiently, watching as Tobin takes her time, doing a few things before she starts to undress herself and join Christen in bed. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks and climbs into the bed with Christen, sitting up against her pillows. She opens her phone and starts to check a few things, since she hadn’t used her phone most of the night tonight, wanting to make sure there isn’t anything important that she’s missed. </p>
<p>She has a few texts from one of her sisters, but it’s nothing important. </p>
<p>“Tobin” Christen practically whines, reaching behind her and pulling on Tobin’s arm and placing it across her waist, wanting her to cuddle her. </p>
<p>Tobin just giggles and puts her phone down before lying on her side, curling into Christen’s back, properly cuddling her. “I forget how much you like to cuddle when you’ve been drinking, Princess,” she says with a smirk.</p>
<p>“Shut up,” Christen grumbles, annoyed. But she pulls Tobin’s arms closer around her and scoots back into Tobin’s chest, fitting them together like perfect puzzle pieces. </p>
<p>“Goodnight baby,” Tobin whispers, placing a soft kiss against the back of Christen’s shoulder. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>It’s the middle of the night and Christen darts up, startled, hearing some sort of noise coming from outside the bedroom. “Tobin?” She questions quietly, looking down at the girl who seems to still be sleeping. “Tobin,” she says a bit louder, shaking the woman. </p>
<p>“What?” Tobin grumbles, her face scrunching up in annoyance. </p>
<p>“You didn’t hear that? I think someone is here,” she says, slightly panicked. </p>
<p>“Nobody is here,” Tobin groans, pulling Christen back down into the bed. “Why would Allie come back home in the middle of the night?” She asks as if it were obvious. “You’re being paranoid,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs and nods her head, figuring that Tobin is probably right. </p>
<p>She cuddles back into Tobin and then hears a noise again, making her jolt back up. “You don’t hear that?” She asks, looking back down at Tobin. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Tobin tells her. “But this is a cheap apartment. You can literally hear everything the neighbors do or if someone is outside,” she informs her. “I promise you, nobody is here,” she tries to assure her, tiredly. “Do you want me to go and make sure?” She then asks, figuring that Christen won’t relax until she proves that Allie isn’t here. </p>
<p>Christen just bites down on her lip, feeling bad for making Tobin get out of bed, though she knows it’ll make her feel better. </p>
<p>And Christen doesn’t even have to answer, before Tobin is crawling out of the bed and heading for the door, still naked. </p>
<p>Christen just sits up in bed, waiting anxiously for Tobin to check out the apartment and come back. </p>
<p>Maybe she’s being paranoid, but it’s also for a good reason. And she swears she heard something. </p>
<p>Finally, after what feels like forever, Tobin returns to the bedroom and sits down on the bed next to Christen. “She’s not here,” she assures her. “I checked her room, the bathroom, I checked everywhere,” she tells her. “Come on, just come back to bed,” Tobin tries, climbing back under the covers. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a heavy sigh and tries to relax. She slides back down into the bed and curls up into Tobin’s arms, burying her face in her neck. “I’m sorry,” she says softly. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Tobin says quietly. “I know you’re anxious. I guess staying here wasn’t the best idea,” Tobin admits with a sigh. </p>
<p>“No, it’s fine,” Christen assures her. “You’re right, it’s not fair for us to always be at my place. I’m just paranoid, but I’m okay. I’ll try and relax,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin places a kiss to Christen’s forehead and holds her close. “Just try and get some sleep,” she tells her softly. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen wakes up the next morning, feeling a bit better and more relaxed. She knows that she was being paranoid last night, but she was also half asleep and still had some alcohol in her system, making her think a bit irrationally. </p>
<p>She rolls over and sees Tobin still sleeping soundly behind her, which isn’t surprising. She glances over at the clock on the nightstand table and sees that it’s just after 7am. It’s definitely a little later than she normally sleeps, but she supposes it’s not the worst thing in the world. </p>
<p>It’s not like she has any plans for the day. She’s probably going to go into the office at some point today but it’s Saturday and it’s not like she has to be there first thing in the morning. </p>
<p>And it’s an odd feeling, not feeling the urgency to get up and start her day like she normally would. But honestly, for the first time, it sounds more appealing just to stay here in bed with Tobin and take care of work later. </p>
<p>She gently pushes Tobin onto her back and chuckles quietly to herself, when Tobin doesn’t even flinch, much less wake up. She throws a leg over Tobin’s waist and straddles her, leaning down to place soft kisses against her neck. </p>
<p>It takes a minute or two but Tobin finally starts to stir awake with a soft moan. </p>
<p>“Morning,” Christen whispers into her ear, before nipping at her earlobe.</p>
<p>“Oh fuck,” Tobin groans, still trying to clear the morning fog from her brain. And having Christen’s tongue and lips all over her neck, isn’t helping her to think clearly this early. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles lowly in Tobin’s ear, sending a shock of arousal straight between Tobin’s legs. “I think you owe me something,” she whispers, before pulling away to look down at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin blinks her eyes a few times and nods her head, her eyes meeting Christen’s, “Whatever you want,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen grins wickedly, and sits up, letting her hands rest on Tobin’s chest. “Whatever I want?” Christen repeats, bringing a hand up and tapping her finger against her nose, thinking it over, “Hmm..” </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks up at her, biting her lip, “I have a strap on,” she suggests boldly. </p>
<p>Christen’s eyes widen and she looks down at Tobin, not expecting that suggestion. </p>
<p>“I mean, if it’s something you’d be interested in or would enjoy,” Tobin says with a slight shrug. “Have you ever used one?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen chews on the inside of her cheek and nods her head, “I’ve used one on girls, but I’ve never had it used on me,” she reveals. </p>
<p>Tobin nods in response, “Well, would you want to try it?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen considers it for a moment. Honestly, she’s never felt comfortable with any of the girls that she’s hooked up with to have them use it on her. She likes to be the one in control of sexual situations. </p>
<p>Until Tobin. </p>
<p>She used to think that if she wasn’t in control that it would just trigger her or make her think about her ex. Though, she’s realized that she just needed to be with someone that she really likes and feels like she can trust. She feels safe with Tobin and has never felt uncomfortable or scared with her. </p>
<p>Even when she lets Tobin be in control. </p>
<p>Honestly, she really enjoyed finally letting someone else be in control for once. It’s sort of exhausting being so in control in all parts of her life. It was nice to give that up for once. And it was a nice feeling to actually find someone she can feel safe enough to do that with. </p>
<p>“Do you like having it used on you?” Christen asks curiously. </p>
<p>Tobin shrugs again, “I’ve had some girls try it before,” she reveals. “It’s pleasurable but I don’t normally come from it,” she says, honestly. “I prefer to use it,” she adds. “But we don’t have to use it at all, if you don’t want to,” she assures her. “It was just a suggestion.” </p>
<p>Christen considers it for a moment longer and then nods her head, “I want to,” she says, confidently. </p>
<p>“Yeah?” Tobin asks, wanting to make sure. “Do you want me to wear it?” She then asks, just making sure that they’re on the same page. </p>
<p>“Yes.” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods. “Come here,” she says, pulling Christen down on top of her, and pressing their lips together. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Are you ready?” Tobin asks, hovering above Christen, the strap on hooked around her hips.</p>
<p>Christen’s chest is still heaving from her last orgasm, Tobin eating her out for what felt like forever, wanting to make sure that she’s ready for her. And now she’s practically writhing in anticipation and feeling more ready for this and more excited than she thought she would be. “Yes,” she manages to breath out. </p>
<p>“How do you want it?” Tobin asks, wanting her to feel a bit more in control of the situation and what they are doing. She knows it’s something new for her and she wants to try and relieve any anxieties that she may have. </p>
<p>Christen considers the questions for a moment, “I want to be on top,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and lies down next to Christen, getting herself comfortable against the pillows. </p>
<p>Christen sits up and carefully straddles Tobin’s thighs, swallowing hard as she feels the silicone pressed up against her. She really hadn’t expected to want it as badly as she does. But looking down at Tobin underneath her, her pupils blown and her lips still puffy and wet from spending the last half hour eating her out, all she wants to do is ride her for the rest of the day. She can feel herself clenching at the thought of it.</p>
<p>“Come here,” Tobin says softly, pulling Christen down into a passionate kiss. “You’re so gorgeous,” she groans into her mouth. “Are you ready to be fucked? It’s going to feel so good baby,” she tells her, reaching down and grabbing the toy, moving it to rub against Christen’s clit. </p>
<p>“Oh god,” Christen groans, pulling away from Tobin and burying her face in neck as she rolls her hips against the toy. </p>
<p>“Are you ready?” Tobin asks gently. </p>
<p>Christen just nods her head, lifting her hips up more and letting Tobin slowly guide the toy just a few inches inside of her. “Oh fuck,” Christen groans. She sucks in a breath and pushes herself up off of Tobin’s chest so she’s sitting straight up, holding herself up with her legs. </p>
<p>She looks down at the toy and bites her lip as she slowly sinks down onto it, letting herself adjust to its size.  </p>
<p>“Fuck that’s so hot,” Tobin groans, unable to keep her eyes off of the toy disappearing inside of Christen. “How’s it feel?” She asks, bringing her eyes up to Christen’s face. </p>
<p>“So good,” Christen breathes out, her head thrown back in pleasure. “Oh fuck, it feels so good,” she moans loudly. “Tobin!” She can’t help but shout as a wave of pleasure rips through her. </p>
<p>Tobin moans in response, clenching her own things together, trying to relieve some of the pressure she’s feeling. She grips onto Christen’s waist and starts to slowly guide her hips, rolling them on top of her. </p>
<p>Christen just moans loudly again, letting her hands fall onto Tobin’s stomach, to try and keep herself up right. She starts building up a pace, until she’s steadily bouncing on Tobin’s lap, the pressure building inside of her. </p>
<p>“Fuck, you look so sexy baby,” Tobin groans, her hands running all over Christen’s body, not being able to settle in one place. “Keep going baby,” she encourages, lifting her hips up to meet Christen’s movements. </p>
<p>Christen groans, after a few minutes her breathing starts to come in short pants. “Tobin...I...” she starts to say, but can’t get the words out as another moan tumbles out of her mouth. </p>
<p>“What is it baby?” Tobin asks, reaching up to play with one of Christen’s nipples, rolling it and pinching it between her fingers. </p>
<p>Christen’s chin drops down to her chest and she sucks in another breath. “Shit,” is all she can groan. She grabs one of Tobin’s hands and slides it down her body to her clit. </p>
<p>Tobin immediately gets what she’s asking for and wastes no time to start rubbing tight circles on her clit. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Christen practically screams, feeling her pleasure about to hit its peak. “I’m...oh fuck I’m gonna...” she starts muttering random words, not being able to string together a coherent sentence. “Fuck...Tobin!” She finally shouts, her body going stiff above Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin slows down her motions, but doesn’t stop, helping Christen to ride out her orgasm. “That’s it baby,” she encourages her, finding herself close to coming herself, just by watching Christen and the amount of pressure on her own clit, just enough to tease her. </p>
<p>After a moment, Christen collapses on top of Tobin, breathing heavily. </p>
<p>“How was that?” Tobin asks, running her fingers through Christen’s hair. </p>
<p>“Fuck,” is all Christen can manage, making Tobin laugh. </p>
<p>“That was super hot,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen just nods her head against Tobin’s neck, still not having the strength to pick her head up or form coherent sentences. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“So when is Allie coming home?” Christen asks curiously, her head resting on Tobin’s chest and her fingers drawing random patterns on Tobin’s naked abs.</p>
<p>“Um, tomorrow morning,” she informs her. “So we should probably stay at your place tonight,” she tells her. “I’m not really sure what time in the morning she will be back,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods. “Do you think you should start staying here more often?” She asks her curiously. </p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Tobin asks with a small pout. “Do you not want me to stay with you? I mean, I guess I kind of just invite myself over every night. You can just tell me if you want some space-</p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen chuckles, putting her hand over Tobin’s mouth to stop her from rambling. “I just meant, because Alex made a comment about how you’re never home anymore and they think that things are more serious with Shirley,” she says, not being able to hold back an eye roll as she says the other woman’s name. </p>
<p>Tobin just smirks, not missing the pettiness. “Maybe,” she shrugs. “But, I don’t really care. Besides, the more serious they think it is with Shirley, the less they’ll worry about you,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“True, but the more serious it is with her, the more they’re going to expect you to bring her around or for them to get to hang out with her,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>“Also true,” Tobin sighs. “I guess I should have thought this through a bit more,” she says with a wince. </p>
<p>“It’s okay. Neither of us really know what we’re doing here,” she admits. “It’s a tough situation,” she adds with a frown.</p>
<p>“But we’re going to figure it out together,” Tobin reminds her with a smile. </p>
<p>“Right,” Christen nods, leaning over to kiss her. She then starts to sit up to get out of bed, but Tobin wraps her arms around her waist, pulling her back down, making her giggle. “Tobin!” She says, trying to wriggle loose from her hold. “Why do you always do this?” She says, trying to sound annoyed, but she can’t stop herself from laughing. </p>
<p>“Because I don’t like it when you try and leave me. Where are you going?” She asks with a pout. </p>
<p>Christen sighs and stops struggling, laying back down on Tobin. “I’m hungry,” she tells her. “I was going to see what you have in the kitchen, or see if we should order something,” she informs her. “We haven’t eaten much today,” she adds. </p>
<p>“I think we’ve eaten plenty,” Tobin retorts with a dramatic wink.</p>
<p>And Christen definitely should have seen that one coming. “You’re so annoying,” she says, rolling her eyes with a playful smile.</p>
<p>Tobin just giggles and releases her hold on Christen. “Fine, but even if there is anything in the fridge, are you going to be the one to cook?” She asks, raising a brow at the woman. </p>
<p>Christen just rolls her eyes again, but she can’t protest because honestly she isn't a great cook. “Probably not,” she shrugs. “But maybe just a snack while we wait on someone to deliver something,” she says with a chuckle. </p>
<p>Tobin laughs again and nods her head. “Okay, feel free to raid the pantry. I’m going to pee,” she tells her. “And just pick whatever restaurant you want to order from and get whatever you think I’d like,” she tells her, crawling off the bed to go into the bathroom. </p>
<p>Christen throws one of Tobin’s t-shirts over her head and walks out into the living room and into the kitchen, hoping to find a substantial snack, knowing that a delivery service will probably be at least an hour. </p>
<p>And she doesn't know why she’s surprised not to find anything in their fridge. Though she thought that maybe Allie would have been a little more responsible than Tobin. Not that she can really say anything, because her fridge is pretty bare as well. </p>
<p>She moves over to the pantry, hoping to find something there, however, all she ends up finding is a bunch of junk food, making her frown. Though, there is plenty of it.</p>
<p>“Of course,” she grumbles to herself, grabbing some wheat thins, figuring it’s the most healthy of her options. </p>
<p>She really thought that maybe Allie would eat a little better, being an athlete and all. Though she supposes it doesn’t take a professional level of athleticism and dieting to train kids.</p>
<p>She pops a few wheat thins into her mouth and makes her way back over to the fridge, looking for something to drink. And just as she grabs a sports drink, she hears someone clear their throat from behind her, startling her.</p>
<p>She spins around, almost dropping the drink as she sees Allie standing by the front door, looking at her just as shocked as Christen looks. </p>
<p>“Oh fuck,” Christen curses, her face heating up and her heart racing in her chest. </p>
<p>Allie just raises a brow at her, looking her up and down, taking in her clothes, or lack thereof. “Hello,” she greets, taking a few steps towards her. </p>
<p>“Hi,” is all Christen can mutter out, swallowing hard, glancing down the hallway, hoping for Tobin to come out.</p>
<p>This is bad. </p>
<p>“Christen, did you find anything for us to-...oh fuck, Allie,” Tobin says with wide eyes, noticing the woman standing in the living room, looking between the two with a raised brow. </p>
<p>“Oh fuck is right,” Allie says, shaking her head at the two of them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well... </p>
<p>let me know your thoughts!! Much love! </p>
<p>tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter Twelve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not so sure about this chapter...eesh but here it is LOL</p>
<p>Enjoy...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Allie what are you doing here?” Tobin asks with wide eyes, her heart racing in her chest at the sight of her roommate. “You said you’d be back in the morning,” she reminds her, as she does a quick mental check, making sure she’d remembered the dates correctly. And she’s positive that she did. She’d checked her text messages with Allie before Christen came over last night. </p>
<p>Not that it really matters. She’s here and the damage is done.</p>
<p>Allie just raises a brow at her, looking unimpressed, “It stormed all day yesterday and today so they canceled the camp. I text you hours ago and told you that I was coming home tonight,” she informs her, rolling her eyes. “I even called to see if you wanted me to pick up dinner but you wouldn’t respond,” she says, glancing back at Christen. “But now, I see you’ve been too busy.” </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns and glances over at Christen who is still just standing next to the fridge, looking pale and anxious. She’s got her shoulders back with that same stoic look on her face that she’d had when her and Tobin first met at the bar. But Tobin sees through it now and can tell that she’s just trying to cover up how nervous she actually is by trying to look intimidating. </p>
<p>“Oh, I haven’t looked at my phone today,” Tobin mumbles, looking back to Allie, knowing her and Christen have been pretty preoccupied all day today. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I see why,” Allie says, glancing between the two of them, not being able to stop herself from smirking again. Even if she’s not thrilled by who she’d found Tobin with, she’s still a bit amused by it.</p>
<p>“But uh...anyway, this is Shirley,” Tobin tries, taking a step closer to Christen, giving Allie a grin. </p>
<p>Both Allie and Christen roll their eyes at Tobin, letting out exaggerated sighs.</p>
<p>“I know what Christen looks like you dumbass,” Allie says, shaking her head.</p>
<p>“You just met the one time so I wasn’t sure,” Tobin grumbles, knowing it was a stretch but still annoyed that her quick thinking hadn’t worked. </p>
<p>Allie smirks, “And I stalked her on social media. Oh, and googled her,” she reminds her, making Christen’s eyes widen. “Don’t worry, I didn’t find any good dirt,” she says with a shrug. “But why don’t you ladies go put something a little more appropriate on and we’ll chat,” Allie suggests, looking at Christen up and down who is only in a T-shirt that barely hangs low enough to cover her. </p>
<p>Christen clears her throat awkwardly and tugs the shirt down a bit further. </p>
<p>Tobin swallows and nods her head, guiding Christen back into her bedroom. She shuts the door behind them and lets out a huge sigh, leaning back against the door, “Fuck,” she groans, knowing that this is all her fault. She should have never risked having Christen come over. But Allie has weekend camps all the time and they’ve very rarely been canceled and she never comes home earlier than expected. </p>
<p>This is just some bad luck. </p>
<p>Or maybe karma. </p>
<p>They both knew it was going to blow up at some point, no matter how careful they were being. </p>
<p>Tobin lifts her head up off the door and looks over to Christen who is sitting on the edge of her bed, shoulders tense as she fidgets with her hands in her lap. Tobin can see the early signs of a panic attack coming. “Hey,” Tobin says gently, walking across her room to kneel down in front of Christen. “It’s going to be okay,” she tries to assure her, placing her hands gently over Christen’s, rubbing her thumb soothingly over the back of Christen’s. </p>
<p>Christen just shakes her head, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to calm her breathing, but she feels like she’s spiraling. </p>
<p>It’s all just too much too quickly and she feels so out of control of everything right now.</p>
<p>Tobin picks up on how Christen is struggling to breathe correctly and she knows that she’s starting to panic. She quickly gets up and sits down behind Christen, fitting her in between her legs and wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist, pulling their bodies close together. “Just breathe baby,” she says quietly in her ear. “In and out, slowly,” she coaches her. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a choked breath but leans back into Tobin, feeling her chest rising and falling and tries her best to mimic her breaths. </p>
<p>“That’s it,” Tobin says soothingly, placing a soft kiss against the back of Christen’s neck. “It’s okay,” she says again, feeling a bit of relief when Christen seems to have calmed down even just slightly.</p>
<p>“What are we going to do?” Christen asks in a shaky voice. </p>
<p>Tobin gives Christen’s waist a little squeeze and then moves to sit next to her so that she can see her face while she’s speaking to her.</p>
<p>Tobin doesn’t think she’s ever heard Christen sound so scared and so vulnerable and it breaks her heart. She reaches over and grabs Christen’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “We’re going to talk to her,” Tobin says simply. “And we’re going to figure it out,” she adds, with confidence, though she’s nervous herself. She’s just trying to be strong for Christen because she hates seeing Christen like this. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you Christen,” she promises her, lifting their hands and placing a soft kiss to the back of Christen’s. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs and shakes her head, “It’s sort of out of your hands, Tobin,” she says honestly. “Allie can ruin me,” she says, looking over at Tobin with fear in her eyes. “Everything that I have worked for and built can be gone. Just like that,” she says, trying to keep her tears at bay. “All she has to do is report me or leak this to some stupid tabloid or something,” she says, shaking her head. “I may own the company but the rules still apply to me,” she reminds her. “If this gets out it could be a legal disaster,” she says, letting go of Tobin’s hand to run her hands through her hair.</p>
<p>“What could they even do? Or who would even punish you? It’s not like you report to someone,” Tobin says with furrowed brows. “And it’s not like it’s illegal,” she adds.</p>
<p>“Technically it’s my company and I’m in charge but there is a board of directors to help run the company and help make business decisions,” she tells her. “If this turns into a big sexual harassment case or scandal then I could be forced to step down and sell the company,” she tells her. “And even if I don’t have to do that, if we get enough bad press and this turns into too big of a deal and I look like some sexual predator or something, it’ll be a media nightmare and we could lose advertisers, and readers... people could stop wanting to work with us and we’d have nothing to put out and we could go broke,” she says, getting more and more stressed out about the situation. “There’s all kinds of things that could happen,” she says with a heavy sigh.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin nods, not wanting to argue with Christen because she knows that she’s right and Tobin doesn’t know enough about all the legal things to have a case. “But Allie’s not going to do that,” she adds quickly. “Seriously, she’s not going to be happy about any of this, but she’s not that kind of person,” she tries to convince her. “For one, she’d never do anything that would hurt me and she knows that hurting you would hurt me,” she says, feeling sure about that. “And two, she’s just not a spiteful person. She’s not going to just go and ruin you because she’s a little angry,” she says, hoping to convince Christen. “She loves your magazine and she thinks you’re awesome. Maybe a little less awesome now,” she says with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood but Christen glares at her. “Anyway, she’d never try and ruin your whole life over this,” she assures her.</p>
<p>Christen nods slowly, looking down at their hands. </p>
<p>Tobin can tell she’s not completely convinced. </p>
<p>“Come on, let’s just go and get this over with and we will deal with whatever comes,” she says, squeezing her hand. “We’ll figure it out, together,” she adds, giving Christen a smile. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen says in a shaky voice, nodding her head but not completely ready for this confrontation. </p>
<p>She supposes she doesn’t have a choice though. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>They get dressed and make their way back into the living room where they see Allie sitting on the couch eating a sandwich and watching TV almost like nothing had even happened. She watches them make their way around the living room and sit on the loveseat across from her and she can tell by their movements that they’re anxious. She doesn’t really feel bad for them though</p>
<p>They kind of brought this on themselves.</p>
<p>“Do you guys want a sandwich?” Allie asks casually, her mouth full.</p>
<p>Tobin glances over at Christen who is just sitting quietly next to her, looking down at her hands and she can see the wheels turning in Christen’s head and knows she’s already trying to come up with a solution to all of this. “No,” Tobin shakes her head, looking back over at Allie.</p>
<p>Suddenly she’s not so hungry anymore, even if they haven’t eaten all day.</p>
<p>“So how long have you been lying to us, Tobs?” Allie asks casually. Her nonchalance just makes Tobin even more nervous. She’d expected a lot of yelling and she’d prepared herself for that. She’s not really how to handle this calm Allie. It’s unsettling. </p>
<p>Tobin clears her throat awkwardly, “Um...I guess awhile now,” she admits with a sigh, knowing there is no point in lying now. “I mean we really did stop seeing each other when I first started the job,” she says, and Christen nods next to her. “But...just a few days later we decided we still wanted to see each other,” she explains with a small wince. “And we knew the risks, but neither of us wanted to give this up, so we decided to just keep it a secret,” she explains, reaching over and grabbing Christen’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.</p>
<p>“Wow, that’s a lot longer than I was actually thinking,” Allie admits with a frown. “So you never even went out with Shirley? That whole thing has been a cover up?” She questions. </p>
<p>Tobin just swallows hard, feeling more and more guilty by the second, “Well, I went on the one date with her for Ali’s article,” she says. “But that’s it. I told her that night that I couldn’t be with her,” she tells her. “And it’s because I had feelings for Christen. I told you that I kissed Christen that night,” she reminds her, making Christen look over at her with a raised brow.</p>
<p>But Tobin doesn’t have time to apologize for telling Allie that right now. </p>
<p>One problem at a time.</p>
<p>“And you told me to forget about her and I really did try but I just wanted to be with Christen. I couldn’t just forget about her,” she admits quietly. “We weren’t together at the time and we both knew that we couldn’t be, but I wanted to be with her and I couldn’t focus on anyone else when I felt this way,” she further explains, glancing over at Christen again who gives her a small smile. </p>
<p>Allie looks between the two of them with a frown and then lets her eyes land back on Tobin, “And you couldn’t even just tell me?” She questions, feeling a bit hurt. “You really were okay with lying to my face for so long?”</p>
<p>Tobin sighs and shakes her head, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t okay with it,” she says, sincerely. “We just really couldn’t risk anyone finding out. I trust you, but it was just safer this way,” she tries to explain, never meaning to hurt her best friend. “We couldn’t risk any slip ups, plus, I know that you wouldn’t have approved,” Tobin adds knowingly. </p>
<p>“Well of course not,” Allie says, rolling her eyes. “This is really stupid,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“Allie- </p>
<p>“No!” Allie stops her. “I get it, she’s hot and you like her and the boss thing probably makes it even hotter, but come on Tobin! Do you understand how risky this is? How much trouble both of you could get into?” She questions. “You could lose your job or even worse, get blacklisted and never be able to do what you want to do.”</p>
<p>“Yes we do know the risks,” Tobin says firmly. </p>
<p>“So fucking your boss is worth you losing everything?” Allie asks, her voice rising. “You’ve worked so hard and you’ve been through so much, Tobin. You’ve finally found a job that you love and one that could potentially end up being something amazing for you and you’re just willing to throw it all away for a good fuck? I really thought you were starting to grow up and gain some responsibility,” she tells her, disappointed. </p>
<p>“We’re not just fucking Allie!” Tobin shouts, standing up from the couch, startling both Christen and Allie. It takes a lot to get Tobin this worked up, so it’s surprising for everyone. “Stop talking about her like that. Like she means nothing to me,” she says angrily. “She’s not just some random fuck! I love her!” She shouts, before she can even think about what she’s saying. </p>
<p>Oh fuck. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen once her brain has caught up and she swallows hard, slowly turning to look at Christen. “Shit, I-...” she tries to think of something to say but she comes up empty. </p>
<p>And she isn’t going to take it back, because she really does mean it. </p>
<p>This just wasn't exactly the way she was hoping to tell Christen. </p>
<p>Honestly, she’d been feeling this way for awhile now, she just hadn’t wanted to scare Christen off because she knew that she’d wanted to take things slow and they’ve only been seeing each other for a few months now.</p>
<p>She knows it’s soon but she also knows how she feels. </p>
<p>Tobin sighs and drops herself back down onto the couch next to Christen, avoiding eye contact and just focusing on Allie.</p>
<p>Again, one problem at a time.</p>
<p>Though, she keeps giving herself more problems.</p>
<p>“Allie, I know that this is risky and honestly you’re right, it’s probably stupid. But I love her and I have never been this happy. I’m not saying that I just want to throw everything away for her, but I can’t throw away what I have with her, either,” she says softly. She glances over at Christen, who looks even more anxious than she already had and Tobin just hates herself a little bit more. She’d already gotten her into this mess with Allie and then she had to go and drop another bomb on her as well.</p>
<p>She’s honestly surprised that Christen hasn’t run out the door yet.</p>
<p>“Christen, you’ve been particularly quiet,” Allie says, raising a brow at the woman. “Do you feel that way as well?” </p>
<p>Christen opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. “I-...I um... </p>
<p>“Allie, leave her out of it,” Tobin sighs. “This is between us,” she adds, knowing that Christen is going to need some time with this. They haven’t even said those words to each other yet, she doesn’t want to make Christen feel pressured to say it right now and in front of Allie.</p>
<p>“I think it has a little something to do with her as well,” Allie states the obvious. </p>
<p>Tobin shakes her head and runs her hands, frustratingly through her hair. “I’m going to take Christen home. We can talk when I get back,” she tells her, knowing that Christen probably needs some space to try and collect her thoughts. She looks like she’s about to have another panic attack and Tobin really doesn’t want Allie upsetting her more than she already is. “Come on babe,” Tobin says quietly, grabbing Christen’s hand and helping her off the couch. </p>
<p>“Fine, but I think I deserve to have a conversation with Christen at some point as well,” Allie says, frowning. “She’s the one taking advantage of you.” </p>
<p>Tobin spins back around at that, “She’s not-</p>
<p>“Tobin, it’s okay,” Christen says, putting a hand on Tobin’s arm. She then turns her attention over to Allie. “I know that you care about Tobin and you’re worried about her,” she starts. “And I admire that, I’m glad that she has a friend who is so protective over her,” she says honestly. “And you don’t know me and I know what this looks like. I’m a lot older than her and I own the company that she works for, but I promise you, I care deeply for Tobin. I’m not trying to take advantage of her, and I definitely don’t want to hurt her,” she says sincerely. </p>
<p>Allie looks a little less defensive, but she’s not completely convinced. </p>
<p>“I tried really hard to stay away from Tobin and to lie about my feelings for her because I knew how disastrous this could be,” she admits. “I knew this was a bad idea and I knew that I could lose everything. That we both could,” she says quietly. “But...I just...I like her so much and I couldn’t stay away from her. I haven’t felt like this for someone in a really long time or honestly, ever. And no matter how hard I tried to deny it or convince myself otherwise, it’s the truth and I just had to admit it,” she says. “We’ve talked about everything a lot and we both know the risks, but we also know that we can’t just give up on us,” she says softly, repeating Tobin’s words from earlier. “We’re going to figure something out,” she adds, feeling a bit more confident, though they still have no actual plan. “But, I won’t let anything happen to Tobin and I definitely won’t get in the way of her dreams,” she says, hoping to win Allie over, or at least get her a little less upset.</p>
<p>“Figure what out? There’s nothing to figure out,” Allie says, still looking upset but her tone is a bit more calm. “Either Tobin has to quit or this turns in to some big scandal and she’ll probably still be forced to quit,” she says with a frown. “You know nothing ever happens to the rich person in charge of this situation,” she says bitterly. “You’ll get off just fine, maybe some bad press at most, but honestly they’ll probably congratulate you on fucking some hot assistant.” She says, rolling her eyes. “But Tobin will lose everything.” </p>
<p>“That’s not true,” Tobin interjects. “There’s a lot at risk for her as well,” she says. “Allie she’s a woman, and a black woman at that. You know that she wouldn’t just get off that easily like some old, rich white man would,” she says, rolling her eyes. “She could lose her entire company as well,” she says sadly. “She’s worked really hard to get where she is and it could all be taken away from her.” </p>
<p>Allie nods, because she knows that she can’t argue with Tobin about that, now that she thinks about it. “Okay so that makes it even more stupid. I get that you guys have feelings for each other, but seriously? This can’t be worth throwing all of your hard work away for,” she says, just not getting it. </p>
<p>“Allie I know you don’t understand and I wouldn’t either. I’d be telling you the same thing if the roles were reversed,” Tobin admits with a sigh. “But I know that losing her would be worse. Even if I get my dream job and become successful, I wouldn’t be fully happy if I didn’t have Chris at my side,” she tells her honestly, grabbing Christen’s hand. “We tried staying away from each other but it didn’t work. We just missed each other and kept coming back to one another no matter how hard we tried to resist it,” she tells her.</p>
<p>Christen squeezes Tobin’s hand, nodding her head. “I don’t want to lose everything that I’ve built and I’m going against everything I believe but I don’t want to lose Tobin either,” she tells her softly. “I thought that being successful and having money would make me happy and that I wouldn’t need anyone or love,” Christen says honestly. “But Tobin proved me wrong. Now, I know that I wasn’t truly happy before, but now I am.”</p>
<p>Allie still isn’t completely on board but she gives them both a sympathetic look, knowing that this is hard for both of them. At first she really didn’t think it was more than just a fun hook up for the both of them, but she’s starting to see that it’s more than that and it’s a lot more complicated. </p>
<p>She even believes Christen is being genuine, against her better judgement. </p>
<p>“I’m going to take Christen home now and we can talk more when I get back,” Tobin says, getting back to her task of getting Christen out there. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Allie nods. </p>
<p>Christen just gives Allie a small tight lipped smile, before turning and following Tobin out of the apartment, not really knowing if she should say anything else to Allie. Or what she’d even say. She said her peace and now she’s just gotta trust that Tobin is right and Allie won’t say anything to anyone. </p>
<p>But Christen has a hard time trusting people she’s close to, much less someone she barely knows.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>When Tobin gets parked outside of Christen’s building, she turns to the woman who had been quiet the entire ride over. And Tobin had been itching to start a conversation but she hadn’t really been sure what to say. She also knows that Christen probably wanted some time to think before they have a conversation. </p>
<p>“I’m so sorry, Christen,” she says, defeated. “I should have never asked you to come over to my place. I should have known it was too risky,” she tells her, feeling awful about it all. </p>
<p>But Christen shakes her head. “It’s not all on you, Tobin,” she assures her. “I agreed to come over and I knew how risky it was as well,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>“I know, but you said that it was a bad idea and then I made you feel bad about how we always go to your place,” she says, still feeling like it’s all her fault. </p>
<p>“It doesn’t matter now,” Christen says, knowing there is no point in arguing over who’s fault it is. “She knows now and we just have to focus on that and figure out what we’re going to do,” she says. </p>
<p>Tobin nods, agreeing with her and leans back against her seat, letting out a deep breath. “I know that she won’t say anything,” she says, turning her head to look at Christen. “I promise you that she’s not going to report you or leak it to some stupid tabloid or anything like that,” she says, knowing that Allie is angry but she’d never do anything that spiteful. Especially not after knowing how Tobin feels about Christen. </p>
<p>“Okay, well is she going to tell Alex?” Christen asks, worriedly. “Because she could report me,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>“I’ll talk to Allie,” Tobin says. “I’ll explain everything to her and I’ll tell her why Alex can’t know about it.” </p>
<p>Christen nods, “And if she doesn’t agree?” </p>
<p>“Then I guess I’ll have to talk to Alex as well. But either way, we’re going to figure this out,” she says, trying to stay positive. She knows how anxious Christen is over this and even if she’s a little on edge herself, she knows she has to try and keep face for Christen. She trusts Allie and even Alex but she knows that Christen doesn’t and she’s not really sure what she can do to make Christen feel better about all of this. </p>
<p>But she knows there isn’t anything she can do. She’s just going to have to wait until Allie proves herself and hopefully gains Christen’s trust. </p>
<p>Tobin bites her lip and looks back over at Christen, “So...about what I said,” she starts, slowly, not really knowing if she should bring it up, but she knows that they should probably talk about it. “I really didn’t mean to say that,” she tells her, feeling terrible that it had come out at such a bad time. </p>
<p>Christen looks down at her lap, feeling too anxious to look at Tobin, “Did you mean it?” She asks quietly. </p>
<p>“I did,” Tobin says, knowing there’s no point in denying it. Even if that wasn’t how she’d planned on saying it, she does mean it and she’s not going to lie about it now. “I know that you want to take things slow and I’m sorry if that freaked you out,” she says. “You don’t have to say it back or anything. That’s not what I’m expecting,” she assures her. “I honestly wasn’t planning on telling you yet but it just kind of slipped out because Allie was just saying all of those things and I just needed her to know how serious I am about you,” she explains. “However, it kind of felt good to say even if it’s not how I imagined it,” she says, not being able to stop herself from smiling softly at Christen. </p>
<p>Christen glances over at Tobin, a little smile on the corner of her lips, before she looks back down at her lap. “It felt nice to hear,” she admits quietly. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins even wider, thrilled that Christen doesn’t seem upset with her for saying it. Or like she’s going to freak out and run. </p>
<p>But then Christen frowns, looking at Tobin with an expression that makes her feel very unsettled and like maybe now she’s going to run. “But, I...I don’t think I’m ready to say it back,” she tells her honestly. “I’m sorry,” she says hoping that Tobin isn’t too upset with her, even if she’d told her she didn’t have to say it back. She knows it can’t feel great to put that out there to not get it back in return.</p>
<p>“That’s okay,” Tobin assures her, relieved that’s all it was. “I know it’s kind of fast and I’m sorry that I just dropped it on you,” she says, grabbing Christen’s hand. She brings her hand up to her lips and places a gentle kiss on the back of it. “But, I know how I feel and I’m glad that it’s out there,” she says honestly. “And I will wait as long as you need. I don’t want you to feel like you have to say it back or rush it just because I said it,” she says softly. </p>
<p>Christen smiles and leans over the console, pulling Tobin in for a sweet kiss. “Thank you,” she whispers against her lips. “You’re too good to me,” she tells her, pulling back from the kiss, but staying close to her. </p>
<p>“You deserve the best,” Tobin tells her honestly. She cups Christen’s face, looking into her eyes and enjoying the closeness with her for a few moments, before pulling back with a heavy sigh. “Alright, I should go and talk to Allie,” she says, not wanting to ruin the mood but knowing it’s something they’re going to have to deal with. </p>
<p>Christen nods, sitting back in her seat, feeling the anxiety wash over her again. For a moment she’d forgotten about all the drama. </p>
<p>It was a nice minute </p>
<p>“Yeah,” she says softly. “I guess we’re going to have to really decide what to do and how to handle all of this,” she says. “I don’t know what’s going to happen and it’s terrifying,” she admits. </p>
<p>“No matter what, we’re going to get through it together,” Tobin says confidently. </p>
<p>“You sound so sure,” Christen can’t help but frown, not feeling nearly as confident as Tobin seems. </p>
<p>“Well yeah,” Tobin says, smiling at Christen. “This sucks but I know that we are going to get through it and I know we’ll be okay,” she says. </p>
<p>Christen feels like a shitty girlfriend for not having as much confidence in them as Tobin seems to have. But this isn’t a normal situation or thing that couples go through. It’s not just some fight that can be fixed. It’s something much bigger than that and there’s a lot more at risk. </p>
<p>“I’ll call you after I talk to Allie,” Tobin says, sensing that Christen is starting to get lost in her head. </p>
<p>“Can we just talk tomorrow?” Christen asks. “I just really need some space to think about all of this,” she says quietly. </p>
<p>Now it’s Tobin that starts to feel anxious, but she continues to smile, hoping to convince Christen otherwise. “Yeah, sure,” she says, trying not to sound upset. She gets why Christen needs some space and it’s not surprising because she knows her. But it doesn’t make her any less nervous. </p>
<p>She just hopes Christen isn’t going to talk herself out of this relationship. </p>
<p>“I’ll see you tomorrow at work,” Tobin says, leaning over to place a soft kiss against Christen’s cheek. </p>
<p>Christen just nods, giving Tobin a small smile, before climbing out of the car and heading up to her condo. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen sighs deeply as she snuggles up on her couch, a blanket wrapped around her as she waits for her older sister to answer her FaceTime call. </p>
<p>Admittedly, she doesn’t call her family nearly as often as she should and she certainly doesn’t call them to ask advice on her dating life. However, she’s at a loss right now and dealing with too many thoughts and emotions to be able to handle it on her own. She needs help. </p>
<p>She needs her big sister. </p>
<p>Even if she knows that she’s going to give her a little bit of a hard time over it all. She’s just hoping that she will be able to sense how anxious Christen is and not make too many jokes at her expense or make a big deal over her actually being in a relationship after all this time. </p>
<p>“Hey it’s my long lost sister,” Tyler greets with a wide grin. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, but doesn’t comment on that statement. “Hey,” she replies back with a sincere smile, feeling guilty for how little she talks to her family. She’s always so busy and never really thinks to call her sister but as soon as she sees her face, she’s always reminded of how much she misses her. “Sorry, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” She asks, knowing that she’s just calling out of the blue.</p>
<p>“No, it’s okay,” Tyler assures her. “We just finished up dinner so this gives me an excuse not to help with dishes,” she says, giving Christen an exaggerated wink. </p>
<p>“You’re terrible,” Christen chuckles, shaking her head.</p>
<p>Tyler doesn’t comment and Christen just sits patiently as Tyler moves into her living room and sits down on the couch, getting comfortable. “So are you going to actually tell me what’s wrong or do I have to pry it out of you?” </p>
<p>Christen just sighs, trying really hard to hold her tears back. She’s so anxious and stressed out that she’s having a hard time dealing with it all and keeping it all inside of her. And normally, she’d be defensive and ask why Tyler thinks something is wrong but she really doesn’t have that fight in her right now. “I don’t know where to start,” she says honestly, sounding a bit defeated. And she’s also not so sure she wants to tell Tyler exactly everything. </p>
<p>Maybe she’ll leave out the part about Tobin being an assistant at her company for now. Though, that’s a lot of the reason she’s so stressed out and it may be nice to talk to someone about it. </p>
<p>She just really doesn’t want to get lectured anymore tonight.</p>
<p>“That bad huh?” Tyler asks with a sympathetic frown. Christen doesn’t call her very often so she knows that when she does it’s probably something pretty serious. “Is it about work?” </p>
<p>“No,” Christen shakes her head, though it sort of is. She lets out another sigh and looks up at the ceiling trying to collect her thoughts and figure out how to tell Tyler about Tobin. “Do you remember that woman you saw in my condo when you FaceTimed me a few months ago?” She asks, curiously. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Tyler nods. “Tobin, right?” </p>
<p>“Good memory,” Christen nods. </p>
<p>“Yeah well it’s not very often I get to meet the women you date or I guess just sleep with,” she says. “Was hard to forget. Plus, she was super hot,” she can’t help but add with a smirk. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, but grins at her sister, knowing she can’t argue with her. “Well, I have actually been seeing her...” she says slowly, really hoping that Tyler won’t make it too big of a deal. </p>
<p>“Seeing her, seeing her?” She asks, a little surprised. Christen just gives her a little nod, and Tyler beams. “That’s great, Christen,” is all she says, but the wide grin on her face lets Christen know that she’s holding back a lot. And she appreciates her for reading the situation well enough to not make it a big deal like she truly wants. “So what’s wrong? What did you do?” </p>
<p>“Why do you think that I did something?” Christen asks, offended. </p>
<p>Tyler just gives her a knowing look. </p>
<p>Christen sighs. “Nobody did anything,” she tells her honestly. “Well...I mean, not like that,” she backtracks.  “She told me that she loves me,” Christen reveals, chewing on her lip nervously.</p>
<p>Tyler bites her lip and Christen can tell that once again she’s trying really hard to hold back a squeal of excitement. But she soon reigns it back in and gives Christen another knowing look. “So let me guess, you freaked out and ran?”</p>
<p>“No,” Christen says defensively. “I mean, not completely,” she adds, looking a bit guilty. “I didn’t really know what to say and she told me that I don’t have to say it back and she understands that I wanted to take things slow...and...she was actually really sweet and understanding,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“So what’s the problem?” Tyler asks, confused. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Christen says, feeling frustrated that she can’t really articulate what she’s feeling. It’s just so much happening at once and she feels really anxious. </p>
<p>Also, she’s more so freaking out at the fact that she didn’t freak out as much as she would have thought she would when Tobin said she loved her. It felt good to hear and that’s even more scary for her.</p>
<p>“It’s just so fast, Tyler,” she says honestly. “We’ve only known each other for a few months now,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“That doesn’t matter,” Tyler replies simply. “Love isn’t some specific timeline that you have to follow. Some people fall in love quickly and some people get there over time, it doesn’t make it any less real either way,” she explains to her. “What about you? Do you love her?” She asks boldly. </p>
<p>“I barely know her,” she says, though she knows that’s a lie. There’s still a lot to learn about Tobin but she also does feel like she knows her pretty well. They’ve spent almost every single day together since they’ve met and they’ve gotten to know each other very well. “I mean...I don’t know...I just...</p>
<p>“You just what?” Tyler asks softly. </p>
<p>“I’m scared, I guess,” she admits quietly. </p>
<p>Tyler gives her a sympathetic look, “What are you afraid of Chris?” </p>
<p>Christen chews on her lip, feeling a lump forming in her throat. “The last time I thought I was in love...well you know what happened,” she says, not being able to actually talk about that right now without crying. “I just can’t let that happen again,” she says with determination. </p>
<p>Tyler nods, understanding. “Do you really think that Tobin is like him? Do you think that she would ever hurt you?” </p>
<p>“No,” Christen says quickly and surely. But then she sighs. “But, I never thought he would either,” she admits. “I just...I’ve come so far and I’ve made something of myself despite everything that I went through and I promised myself that I would never let it happen again and the thought of that happening-...” she starts and then has to stop, shaking her head, once again willing the tears away. “I don’t want to think that Tobin would ever do that because I know that she wouldn’t, but then I also worry that I’m just being stupid and naive. I told myself that I’d never let myself be with anyone like that again because you never know what people are capable of and here I am,” she says, rolling her eyes at herself. “And I feel awful and guilty for even saying this because Tobin is so sweet and so perfect and I know she wouldn’t hurt me, but I just...I can’t help but worry about it after everything.” She admits, feeling terrible. “I just...I hate that I always think the worst about people and that I can’t just trust her and-</p>
<p>“Hey, it’s okay,” Tyler says, soothingly. “Don’t start spiraling on me,” she says with a little smile, trying to lighten the mood a little.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Christen says with a small sigh, trying really hard to think about her ex and all the possibilities of that happening to her again. She knows that not everyone is going to be like him but she doesn’t know if she trusts herself to know the difference anymore. </p>
<p>“Don’t apologize,” Tyler tells her firmly. “You went through something terrible, Christen,” she says, her jaw clenching as she thinks about everything that man did to her little sister and all the pain that he’s still causing her, even years later. “And it’s understandable for you to be scared and for you to be cautious with your heart,” she says, not wanting Christen to feel bad for anything. “But you deserve to be happy and to be with someone that truly loves you,” she says with a soft smile. “And obviously Tobin makes you happy and you feel something for her, otherwise you wouldn’t have broken your no dating rule. You’ve been pretty strict on that for years now. Nobody has been able to break through your walls,” she says knowingly. “Honestly, I never thought you’d let yourself get close to anyone again and it broke my heart for you because I know you deserve someone amazing and someone who will treat you the way you should be treated,” she tells her sincerely. “And I know it’s scary and yeah, he was nice and charming and you trusted him and never thought he’d hurt you but just because that happened with him, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen with everyone,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“And how am I supposed to know?” Christen asks quietly. </p>
<p>Tyler just sighs, “I guess you really don’t know,” she says, though she knows that’s not what Christen wants to hear. “But I also know there were a lot of red flags with him and obvious signs now that we look back at it,” she says honestly. “And I think you’d be more aware now and notice the signs. You’re also not that insecure, nervous kid that you used to be. You’d never let anyone stomp all over you like that again.” she says, knowing how much her sister has grown. “Has Tobin ever given you a weird feeling or made you feel unsafe?” </p>
<p>“No, of course not,” Christen shakes her head. “She’s always way sweeter to me than I even deserve,” she says with a small smile. “And she’s not controlling, and she’s never made me feel weak or like I’m stupid or not good enough,” she says, trying to think back to all the things that he had done in the beginning that Tobin definitely hasn’t done. </p>
<p>“I know it’s scary, Christen but you’re just going to have to trust her,” Tyler says, a bit regretful that she doesn’t have any better advice for her sister. “And, Tobin must be a very special person and you must really like her for you to be this stressed out about it. I’ve never even seen you hook up with the same girl twice, much less date someone and open yourself up to love,” she says with a genuine smile. </p>
<p>“She is,” Christen can’t help but smile. “She’s amazing, Ty,” she says with a wistful sigh, just thinking about Tobin. </p>
<p>“Tell me about her,” Tyler requests, happy to see the love sick look on her sister's face. </p>
<p>“She’s just...she’s so genuinely kind to everyone around her. She sees the good in everyone which I used to think was a flaw and was naive, but I don’t know...it’s kind of beautiful how she sees the world,” she tells her. “And she’s this amazing photographer. She can find something so ordinary or something that most people wouldn’t find that appealing and she’ll take a photo of it and just make it look absolutely gorgeous. She sees beauty in everything and when I look at her photos, it’s like I can see the world how she sees it and it’s amazing,” she says, grinning widely. “I’m kind of jealous at how she sees things and how optimistic she is. She just always has a positive energy around her and she makes me feel like no matter what happens, it’ll all be okay.” </p>
<p>Tyler just watches Christen’s face as she practically gushes about Tobin and it completely warms her heart. She honestly never thought she’d see the day where her sister was so into someone and so obviously in love. </p>
<p>“And she’s even more caring and sweet when it comes to me,” Christen continues. “She always remembers everything, like even just the small stuff that most people would pay no mind to,” she says. “Anytime she sees something pink she takes a photo of it and sends it to me because she knows that it’s my favorite color and she says that it always makes her think of me,” she smiles. “Oh and she also stops to take a photo of every dog that she sees to send to me because she knows that it’ll make me smile,” she says with a little giggle. “And at night she always makes sure that I turn my white noise machine on even though she can’t stand it, because she knows that I sleep better with it on,” she smiles. “It doesn’t seem like much, but she’s always just doing little things like that for me and I love those things even more than the big gestures,” she tells her. “She always seems to know exactly what I need, even when I don’t know it.”</p>
<p>“She sounds amazing, Christen,” Tyler says honestly. “And it sounds like she really does love you,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Yeah...I guess she does,” Christen can’t help but grin, feeling a bit giddy over it. </p>
<p>“What else do you love about Tobin?” Tyler asks with a small smirk.</p>
<p>Christen lets out a breath, “I love everything about Tobin, I just...I love <i>her</i>,” she says, before she can really think about what she’s saying. And then when she realizes what she’d said, she looks at Tyler with narrowed eyes. “That was tricky,” she tells her, amused. </p>
<p>Tyler just grins and shrugs her shoulder, “Now you know how you feel,” she says, proudly. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess I do,” Christen smiles, still feeling a bit overwhelmed at the revelation, but not nearly as scared as she’d thought she’d be. “Thank you, Tyler,” she says sincerely. </p>
<p>“Of course. I can be pretty helpful, you just have to call once and awhile,” she says with a cheeky grin. </p>
<p>Christen laughs, and shakes her head. “I know, I’m sorry. I promise, I’ll try and make more of an effort,” she tells her, actually meaning it this time. She always said in the past that she’d call her family more and she’d come and see them, but she always knew they were empty promises, and they knew that as well. But this time she really means it. She wants to reconnect with her family and she knows it’s way past time for that. </p>
<p>“Wow, Tobin really did a number on you, huh?” Tyler says with a grin, also sensing how sincere and serious Christen is this time. “You’re like a new woman,” she grins.</p>
<p>She’s different now, but in a good way. She’s happy and it looks good on her. </p>
<p>Christen chuckles, letting out an airy sigh, “Yeah...it was infuriating at first,” she admits. “I didn’t like feeling this way or possibly having feelings for someone,” she says. “But she weaseled her way in and now I don’t want her to leave,” she says with a warm smile. </p>
<p>“I’m happy for you, Christen. And proud of you,” she says, giving her a proud look. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Christen says quietly, feeling a bit awkward with the praise, but grateful at the same time. </p>
<p>“I’m going to come and visit you soon, okay?” Tyler tells her. “I want to meet this girl,” she adds with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just laughs again, nodding her head, “That’d be nice, actually,” she says, surprising herself with how sincere those words are. </p>
<p>“Alright, well I’m going to go and help clean up the kitchen before I get in trouble,” Tyler says with a chuckle. “I love you,” she says smiling at her sister, widely. </p>
<p>“I love you too, Ty,” she says just as sincerely. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin walks back into her apartment and sees Allie still sitting on the couch, watching TV. She lets out a deep breath and plops herself down next to her. “How mad are you?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>Allie looks thoughtful for a moment and then turns to look at Tobin, “Pretty mad,” she admits. “Well, mostly just hurt that you’ve been lying to me for so long,” she adds quietly. </p>
<p>“Allie, I didn’t do it because I don’t trust you or because I just enjoy lying to you,” she tells her with a sigh. “Christen....she has some trust issues,” she says vaguely. “And she wasn’t comfortable with me telling you,” she tells her. “Which, I understood because even though I know you, she doesn’t and this is a big deal and there’s a lot at risk,” she explains. “I just needed to make her feel comfortable,” she adds. </p>
<p>“I get it,” Allie sighs. “I do, but it still doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“I know, I’m sorry,” Tobin says, leaning her head down to lie on Allie’s shoulder. </p>
<p>They sit in silence for a few moments and Tobin is happy that Allie doesn’t seem to hate her and she definitely doesn’t seem as pissed off as she was earlier. Taking Christen home and giving Allie some space had definitely been a good idea. </p>
<p>“So, you are really in love with her?” Allie asks after a few moments. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Tobin nods, picking her head back up. “I am.” She confirms. “That was actually the first time I’ve said it to her,” she says. </p>
<p>Allie’s eyes widen and she turns to look at Tobin, “Seriously? You haven’t even said it yet and you decide the best time to do it is to blurt it out while I’m yelling at you?” She asks incredulously. </p>
<p>Tobin winces, “It just sort of slipped out. It’s definitely not how I was planning it,” she sighs. “I just...I needed you to know that this is more than us just fucking. She means everything to me, Allie.” </p>
<p>Allie nods, “I see that now,” she assures her. “And honestly, Tobin, I’m thrilled that you’ve found someone and you’re so happy-</p>
<p>“But,” Tobin says knowingly. </p>
<p>“But,” Allie emphasizes, giving Tobin a look. “It’s your boss,” she states, as if it weren’t obvious. “Why’d you have to go and fall in love with your boss?” She asks, shaking her head, a little smile on her lips, which makes Tobin feel a little better. </p>
<p>“Believe me, this was not the plan,” she tells her. “I’ve just felt this connection with her from the moment we met,” she says honestly. “And at first it was just a hookup for her, she wasn’t interested in anything more than that. She made that very clear and maybe it was wrong of me, but I kept talking to her and sleeping with her and I convinced myself that I was fine with just hooking up with her, but a part of me was definitely hoping that maybe she’d get to know me and she’d start to have feelings for me and want more as well,” she tells her. “And even when she was trying to act like she didn’t care, I knew that she did,” she says with a smile. “She just...she’s been through so much and she was trying so hard to push me away even when I knew it wasn’t what she wanted. She’d tell me this wasn’t anything more than a hookup, but then an orange toothbrush showed up in her bathroom and my favorite snacks in her pantry even though she’d never eat such horrible junk,” she says, using her ‘Christen voice’, quoting her on the horrible junk part, an amused grin on her face. “She even paid for the NBA package on her TV after I mentioned that a game that I wanted to watch wasn’t local and on a regular Chanel. A few days later I was over there, and she magically had the NBA league pass and I know she’s never watched a basketball game in her life,” she says with a chuckle and Allie can’t help but laugh at that as well. “I knew she cared and I knew this was something more than just a hookup for her. I just had to be patient with her and not push her,” she explains. “And now she’s finally opened up to me and we’re at a really great place and then...</p>
<p>“And then I found out your dirty little secret and ruined everything,” Allie finishes. </p>
<p>Tobin winces, but doesn’t deny it. “I’m just scared this is going to be too much and scare her off,” Tobin admits. “She told me that she needs some time to think,” she tells her. “And that’s not normally a good sign,” she frowns.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Tobin,” Allie says. “But, you had to know that you couldn’t keep this a secret forever,” she adds. “You guys can’t just live in a safe little bubble forever.” </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin nods. “I was just hoping to stay there for a little bit longer,” she says sadly. </p>
<p>“I’m not going to say anything,” Allie assures her. “I may not be completely onboard with this relationship but I don’t want to hurt you and even though she’s not my favorite person at the moment, I’d never want to ruin her career and everything she’s worked for. Especially not if she really does love you.” </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Tobin says, letting out a relieved breath. Even though she’d had faith that Allie wouldn’t say anything, it’s nice to hear the confirmation. “What about Alex?” She asks cautiously. “Are you going to tell her?” </p>
<p>Allie just sighs again, “I hadn’t really thought about,” she admits. “I think as your best friend, she deserves to know as well,” she tells her. “And I don’t really feel comfortable lying to her as well,” she says with a frown. </p>
<p>“You’re not really lying. You’re just withholding information,” Tobin tries, though she knows that it’s not much better. </p>
<p>“Do you really think that Alex would report Christen?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Tobin says honestly. “I like to think that she wouldn’t stoop that low, but you know how she can be,” she says, giving Allie a knowing look. “And she’s such a stickler about rules and all that, she’s going to have a heart attack,” she says, shaking her head. “Plus, Christen is like her idol and she’s made it very clear on how much she disapproves of me sleeping with Christen. She still gives me a hard time over it and she thinks it was just the one time,” she tells her with a frown. “Who knows how she’ll react if she finds out we’re actually in a relationship,” she says, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. </p>
<p>“You’re putting me in a really difficult place, Tobin,” Allie says, seriously. “I don’t want to break your trust or upset you, but I also don’t feel comfortable to continue lying to our other best friend.” </p>
<p>“I know, I’m sorry,” Tobin apologizes. “Just...keep it quiet for a little while and I promise, I’ll figure something out and I’ll talk to Alex and tell her everything, okay?” Tobin asks, hoping to compromise. “I just need some time to see where Christen is at and figure all of this out before we bring even more people into it,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Allie says reluctantly. “But you can’t keep this from her forever.” </p>
<p>“I know, I won’t,” she assures her. “I think I’m going to look for another job,” she admits. </p>
<p>“Tobin-</p>
<p>“Don’t say my name all disapproving-like,” Tobin rolls her eyes. “I’m not going to just quit this job for Christen,” she assures her. “But, if I could find something just as good or maybe even better then it’d be a win win, right?” She questions. “And I promise that I won’t just give this up for any job. I’ll make sure it’s a good fit and something that I’ll truly enjoy,” she tries to assure her. “I just...I don’t know what else to do and it’s not like I’m going to get a promotion anytime soon. I’ve only been doing this for a few months and there isn’t even a guarantee that I will get a different job or move up in this company even in the long run,” she explains. “So it doesn’t hurt to just look for other opportunities, right?” </p>
<p>“I guess not,” Allie can’t help but say. “I just know that you sometimes act without thinking and I don’t want you to just find some random job just so you can be with Christen,” she says. “I’ve never seen you enjoy a job as much as this one,” she adds. </p>
<p>“I know, I promise, I’ll wait for something good,” she assures her. “Christen has already told me the same thing,” she informs her. “She could have taken the easy way out and told me to go find another job, but she didn’t. She told me not to give this up unless something really great comes along and that we will figure it out until then,” she says. </p>
<p>“Well I’m happy she seems to be looking out for you,” Allie says, not completely hating the woman. </p>
<p>“She cares about me, Allie,” Tobin says confidently. “We’ve spent almost every day together since we’ve met and I know her and I know this is real.” </p>
<p>“Okay, I trust you,” Allie nods. </p>
<p>“Plus,” Tobin says with a grin. “I started my instagram page and I already have a couple thousand followers,” she says with a grin. “I mean, I know a lot of them and then most of them are soccer fans and still follow me from when I played,” she says with a small frown. “But it’s a start and it’s something,” she says. “Pinoe has been helping me market and get my name out there,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Who is Pinoe?” Allie asks confused. </p>
<p>“Oh she runs the social media department at work,” she explains. “She’s great at what she does and I really think this could lead to something,” she tells her. “Thank you for giving me the idea to do this,” she adds, knowing it had been a push from Allie and Alex that even made this possible. </p>
<p>“Yeah of course,” Allie smiles. “You’re talented Tobin and people will see that,” she says with confidence. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins and lays her head back down on Allie’s shoulder, feeling a lot more relaxed about everything. </p>
<p>It’s still not perfect, but it could be worse. </p>
<p>“So now that you know about me and Christen, I guess I can bring her around here more often,” Tobin says, relieved that she doesn’t have to try and hide Christen away from her best friend. “Maybe you could try and get to know her a little,” she says, hopefully. </p>
<p>“Maybe,” Allie says with a frown. “But if I have to act like I don’t know about you guys, maybe it’s better that I don’t witness it and see her all the time,” she says carefully, not wanting to hurt Tobin but knowing if they get too comfortable she could possibly slip up. And it’d be harder to lie to Alex about it all. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Tobin sighs. “I just want you to get to know her. I think you’d like her,” she says. </p>
<p>“I want to get to know her too, but I think we all need some time before that happens,” she says honestly. </p>
<p>“I can respect that,” Tobin agrees, still just happy that Allie isn’t too pissed about all of this. “I love you, Harry,” she says, giving her best friend a squeeze. </p>
<p>“Love you too, Harry,” Allie grins.</p>
<p>“Alright, I’m starving. I haven’t eaten all day and I feel like I’m going to pass out,” Tobin says, getting up off the couch, her appetite coming back full force now that most of the stress has left.</p>
<p>“You haven’t eaten today? Christen doesn’t feed you?” Allie asks, playfully. </p>
<p>“We were a bit preoccupied,” Tobin says, sending Allie a wink. “We literally didn’t get out of bed all day. Though, ironically I did a lot of eating,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>Allie groans, but gives Tobin a playful grin. “I didn’t need to hear that,” she laughs.</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs loudly and walks into the kitchen to find herself something to eat.<br/>
—-</p>
<p>Tobin walks into the office, immediately looking around for Christen. She’d been trying to text her all night last night and this morning even though Christen had asked her for some space. She honestly just couldn’t help herself and even if they didn’t talk about Allie or what was going on, she’d just wanted to hear Christen’s voice and know that she was okay. They’d left things a little weird in the car and Tobin is starting to fear that Christen is going to end up breaking up with her. </p>
<p>And the fear only spiked when Christen didn’t return any of her calls or texts. </p>
<p>She knows that she’s probably being paranoid and also clingy and annoying for bugging Christen when she’d clearly just wanted her space. </p>
<p>She just wants to know what Christen is thinking but she also knows she’s probably making the situation worse. She just doesn’t know what else to do.</p>
<p>She’s just going to have to actually give Christen the space that she’d requested to try and process everything and hope that Christen won’t give up on them. She knows that they had decided to stop asking each other if they wanted to end this relationship and to stop being afraid that the other would break it off. But that was also before something this explosive happened. </p>
<p>And now Tobin is terrified that Allie finding out is going to change Christen’s mind. That she’s going to leave. </p>
<p>She knows it’d be easier for Christen to walk away now and not have to worry about this mess anymore. But she’s hoping that they mean more to each other than that. Because she knows Christen is worth all of this. She just hopes that she feels the same. And she’s pretty sure that Christen does, but she also knows Christen and she knows that she puts up walls and she’s afraid she’s going to go back to lying to herself and try to tell herself that she’s better off alone.</p>
<p>It also doesn’t help that Tobin dropped the L word on her in the midst of everything. Especially when Christen had specifically said she wanted to take things slow between them. It wasn’t even until recently that Christen started to admit they were in an actual relationship. </p>
<p>Why does she always have to screw everything up? </p>
<p>She doesn’t see Christen anywhere and she notices that her office door is closed so she thinks that maybe she’s in a meeting or on a conference call or something. It’s about the only reason Christen ever closes her door. Or if an employee needs to talk to her about something private. </p>
<p>With a sigh, Tobin goes into Ashlyn’s office to see what she needs her to do today, and tries to just block out her anxieties over Christen and what this means for their relationship.  </p>
<p>“Hey Ash,” she greets, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. </p>
<p>“Hey, you okay?” The woman asks immediately. </p>
<p>Tobin curses at herself in her head for not being able to hide her emotions better. But she’s always worn her emotions on her sleeve. She just doesn’t see the point in trying to hide how she’s feeling, even if they aren’t pretty feelings. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she tells her with a small sigh. “Just a little tired,” she tries to say, though she knows that she’s not any more convincing. </p>
<p>Thankfully, Ashlyn just nods, deciding not to pry into her business. “Okay well we have a long day ahead of us so maybe go get yourself a second coffee,” Ashlyn tells her, nodding down the cup that Tobin has in her hand. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin agrees. “What’s going on?” She asks, sensing Ashlyn’s stressed mood. </p>
<p>“Well we have our monthly staff meeting tomorrow, if Christen is back,” she says. “We have to pitch all of our ideas for next month's issue and try and have a pretty good picture of what we want it all to look like so Christen can give us the go ahead or tell us to come up with something else,” she starts to explain, but Tobin can only focus on one detail. </p>
<p>“What do you mean if Christen is back?” </p>
<p>Ashlyn looks up from her laptop and over at Tobin, “She called in sick today,” she informs her. “Which is kind of odd. I mean, it’s not the first time she’s called in but it’s definitely very rare,” she says with a frown. “I didn’t even know if she could get sick,” she adds with a small smirk. “I was convinced she was like a Super woman or something,” she says chuckling. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods, feeling dread settle in her chest. She didn’t call out because of her, did she? No, there’s no way that Christen would let their relationship drama get in the way of her work. She’s way too professional for that. And this company means too much to her.</p>
<p>But what if she did? What if what happened between them was so upsetting that Christen couldn’t even face coming in to work today. Couldn’t face seeing her. </p>
<p>‘No, not everything is about you, Tobin,’ she tells herself in her head, rolling her eyes. </p>
<p>However, calling in sick is very unlike Christen and it’s making her worry. Something is definitely wrong, whether it’s about her or not. </p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Ashlyn asks, pulling Tobin away from her thoughts. </p>
<p>“What? Oh yeah, fine,” she nods, trying to get Christen out of her head and focus on what Ashlyn is telling her. They really do have a long day ahead of them and Tobin really needs to focus. </p>
<p>“Okay, I’ve got a meeting in about 5 minutes with a designer so grab your notebook and follow me,” she instructs her, standing up from her chair. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and quickly scurries out of Ashlyn’s office to grab her notebook and a pen, getting into game mode and ready to pay attention and be there for whatever Ashlyn needs today. </p>
<p>And try not to only think about Christen.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>She did a decent job of paying attention in the meeting and taking notes and doing whatever it was that Ashlyn needed from her. However, she had definitely still been a bit distracted. Which is why, she takes her lunch break to go over to Christen’s and check up on her. She knows that she probably shouldn’t just show up unannounced when Christen clearly doesn’t want to speak to her. But she can’t help herself. She’s been worried all day and having a hard time focusing on her work. </p>
<p>And she knows she’s not going to be able to get through the rest of her day without knowing Christen is okay.</p>
<p>She walks into Christen’s condo and sees all the lights off and notices how quiet it is. Almost like nobody is even home. And it’s always pretty quiet in her home, considering Christen rarely has the tv or anything on, unless Tobin is there. But it’s not normally this eerily quiet. She at least usually has some sort of soft, soothing music playing in the background or she can hear her moving around or typing on her computer in her office.</p>
<p>But she hears nothing. </p>
<p>She walks through the living room, looking through the glass windows to see if she can spot the girl out on the balcony, but she sees no sign on her, “Chris?” She calls out, before turning around to head down the hallway. “Chris?” She calls out again. </p>
<p>She walks into Christen’s bedroom and notices the blinds are closed and the lights are off, making it extremely dark in the room, even though it’s the middle of the day. Christen always leaves her blinds open, loving the natural light that shines through her windows so this definitely doesn’t seem right. “Christen?” She calls carefully, stepping closer to the bed. </p>
<p>She notices a lump under the covers and frowns deeply. It’s definitely not like Christen to stay in bed all day. She has a hard time getting Christen to even stay in bed past 6am on her day off. But maybe she really is sick and Tobin was making everything up and causing herself unneeded stress. </p>
<p>And also just making everything about her again, when it probably isn’t.</p>
<p>Tobin sits down on the bed and reaches out, putting a gentle hand on the lump of blankets, “Christen?” she says softly, once again. She carefully pulls the covers down, revealing the woman, sleeping soundly. She bites down on her lip and debates on if she should wake her up or not. She really wants to check on her and make sure that she’s okay, but if she really is sick, she probably needs her rest. </p>
<p>Tobin is about to get up and leave Christen alone but she sees her slowly roll over onto her back, so she stays where she is.</p>
<p>“Hey babe,” she says softly, reaching out to brush some curly hair out of Christen’s face. “I used the key you gave me, I hope that’s okay,” she says with a small frown. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs, still not opening her eyes but slowly nodding her head. “That’s why I gave it to you,” she reminds her. </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin nods, even though Christen isn’t looking at her. “I just wasn’t sure, after everything that happened..” she says quietly, feeling a bit unsure of herself. Christen gave her the key so she could come and go as she pleased, but she hadn’t returned any calls or texts which was a clear sign that she probably didn’t want to see her. So she knows that she probably shouldn’t have just shown up like this, either. “I didn’t know if you wanted to see me.” </p>
<p>“Please stop talking,” Christen groans, rolling back over onto her side, her back facing Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin frowns even harder, feeling her chest tighten and her anxiety rise. “I’m sorry...I just wanted to check on you. I’ll go,” she says sadly, before starting to get off the bed. </p>
<p>This definitely wasn’t a good idea.</p>
<p>“Migraine,” Christen mumbles so quietly that Tobin barely hears her. And then Christen is reaching behind her to grab Tobin’s arm, stopping her from getting up and leaving.</p>
<p>Tobin sits back down and scoots closer to Christen, registering what she’d said. “I’m sorry, baby. What can I do?” She asks with concern. </p>
<p>“Stop talking,” Christen grumbles, quietly.</p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but smirk because even though Christen’s eyes are closed she can hear her signature, annoyed eye roll in her voice. She leans down and places a soft kiss on Christen's temple and starts to get back up to leave Christen be and get some rest. However, Christen’s grip tightens on her arm, stopping her from moving. “Stay,” Christen requests softly, pulling on Tobin’s arm so that it’s wrapped around her waist. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin replies quietly with a smile. She kicks off her shoes and then fully climbs onto the bed, wrapping herself around Christen’s body from behind. </p>
<p>She’s going to have to go back to work pretty soon, but she’ll stay here as long as she can. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Hours later, Christen finally kicks her migraine enough to pull herself out of bed, not feeling like she’s going to throw up just from standing or walking around. She walks into the living room and sees Tobin sitting on her couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table, eating a bag of chips and watching TV. </p>
<p>“Hey,” Tobin grins, her mouth full of chips, a few crumbs falling onto her shirt. </p>
<p>Christen wants to get onto her for getting crumbs all over her couch, but all she can do is smile at the sight of her. “Hi,” she greets back, immediately sitting next to her and curling into her side. </p>
<p>Tobin lifts her arm up, wrapping it around Christen’s shoulders and pulling her closer to her, letting her snuggle up next to her. “How’s your head?” She asks, gently massaging the back of Christen’s head with her fingers. </p>
<p>Christen closes her eyes, sighing at the comforting feeling. “Better,” she says quietly. “It’s still a dull ache but it doesn’t feel like someone is twisting a screwdriver into my skull,” she says. </p>
<p>“I was worried about you when they said you called in sick,” Tobin tells her quietly. “I honestly didn’t even think you got sick,” she says with a light chuckle. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a small laugh as well, “I don’t, really,” she informs her. “But I get migraines sometimes,” she says. “Sometimes they’re not too terrible but today it was bad,” she says with a small groan. “I threw up twice this morning because the pain was so bad,” she says with a frown. “I could barely even sit up without getting dizzy,” she says.</p>
<p>Tobin holds Christen closer to her, the thought of Christen being in that much pain, making her own stomach feel unsettled. “You should have called me,” she tells her with a small pout. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs, “Sorry,” she says quietly, wrapping her arms around Tobin’s waist and snuggling closer to her. “I’m used to dealing with it on my own,” she admits. “Besides, it’s not like you could have stayed home from work as well to take care of me,” she points out.  </p>
<p>“I could have,” Tobin argues. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen shakes her head. “For one, I can take care of myself, there’s no need for you to have to miss work over that,” she says. “And two, it may look a little odd for us to both be calling in on the same day,” she adds. </p>
<p>“I guess you’re right,” Tobin sighs. “But, you still could have text me. I was really worried,” she informs her. “I thought maybe you were just avoiding me after yesterday too,” she admits. </p>
<p>Christen pulls her head up off of Tobin’s shoulder and looks over at her. “I’m sorry,” she says again, this time actually feeling a little guilty. “Just looking at my phone was an excruciating pain. Even just a little light was making me feel sick,” she tells her. “But I’m sorry that I made you worry. I shouldn’t have just ignored you after everything last night,” she says, knowing how stressed she’d probably made Tobin all day. “I called Ash and then I just passed out,” she sighs.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Tobin assures her, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “I’m sorry you felt so terrible all day,” she says sincerely. “Do you get migraines, often?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“A couple of times a year, sometimes more,” she shrugs. “A lot of stress can trigger them,” she says, laying her head back down on Tobin’s shoulder.  </p>
<p>“You’re always stressed,” Tobin can’t help but say, a playful smirk on her face.</p>
<p>Christen just lightly slaps Tobin’s leg, “Shut up,” she groans. “I’m not uptight,” she says, knowing that Tobin always jokes about her being too uptight. And it was one of the words she used to describe her when they first met. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry that last night caused you so much stress,” Tobin sighs. “I still can’t believe I was so stupid.” </p>
<p>“Hey, we’re done with that, remember?” She says firmly, not wanting Tobin to keep blaming herself and feeling guilty. </p>
<p>“I know,” Tobin agrees, but can’t really help it. </p>
<p>“Do you want to talk about what happened with Allie when you went back home last night?” Christen asks, pulling herself away from Tobin again, to sit up and turn her body facing her so that she can look at her while they’re talking. </p>
<p>“We can,” Tobin nods. “But maybe tomorrow when you’re feeling better?” She asks, not wanting to cause Christen anymore stress while she still has a headache. </p>
<p>“Okay, but should I be worried?” Christen can’t help but ask. </p>
<p>“No,” Tobin shakes her head. “I mean, I know you’re still going to worry,” she says giving her a knowing grin. “But, she’s not going to say anything or report you, I can promise you that,” she says, hoping to at least soothe some of Christne’s worries. “And she agreed not to tell Alex right now,” she adds, knowing that was a concern as well. “But we can talk about that tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods. “I guess that’ll do for now,” she sighs, snuggling back into Tobins side, still not feeling well enough to get into a full conversation about it. “But I want to know what exactly you guys talked about,” she adds, knowing she’s going to just keep having anxiety until she hears exactly what Allie said and what they decided on. “And you’re here now, so I guess she didn’t convince you to leave me either,” she says quietly, because honestly it had been a fear of hers. </p>
<p>“Hey, I thought we were done with that too?” Tobin asks with a small smirk. </p>
<p>Christen chuckles lightly, “You know you were thinking the same thing today,” Christen says knowingly. “Let’s be honest, we’re in a really difficult situation and no matter what we say, I think it’s always going to be a fear of ours,” she says with a bit of defeat.  </p>
<p>“Maybe,” Tobin says with a frown. She doesn’t want it to be this way, but she knows that Christen is probably right. “But, I’m going to try and just trust you and trust in us and stop doubting it every time something bad happens,” she says with a bit of confidence, trying to convince not only Christen of that but herself as well. “I’m in this with you, Chris. No matter what,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>“Me too,” Christen agrees quietly, lifting her head up enough to kiss Tobin’s shoulder.</p>
<p>They sit quietly next to each other for a few minutes, Tobin tuning into the tv show that she’d been watching and Christen just closing her eyes, content to be in Tobin’s arms. She still doesn’t feel very good and after last night, it feels exceptionally great to be close with Tobin and just enjoying her presence and the comfort she gives her. After last night, she wasn’t really sure what was going to happen. So she’s happy that things seem to be back to normal. Though she knows they’re just prolonging the inevitable. They’ll have to talk about everything and figure out a game plan before things keep spiraling even more.</p>
<p>“Do you want some chips?” Tobin mumbles, through another mouthful after a few moments. </p>
<p>Christen groans and picks her head up to roll her eyes at Tobin, “No, you know that I don’t eat that junk,” she says firmly. “And you’re making a mess,” she tells her, reaching up to brush some crumbs off of Tobin’s shirt. </p>
<p>Tobin chuckles but manages to look at least a bit guilty, “Sorry,” she tells her, stuffing her mouth with more chips. “I’ll vacuum,” she assures her. “Oh! I went to the store after work,” she tells her. “I got you some soup,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen grins at her, “What kind of soup?” She questions. </p>
<p>“Tomato basil,” she replies. “I was going to get ingredients to make you some homemade soup but then I realized I’m not the best cook and I’ve never attempted tomato soup before and I didn’t want to make you feel even worse,” she explains, making Christen just grin at her, amused and honestly completely enamoured by her. “So anyway, I bought some that is already made from the deli and you just have to warm it up,” she tells her. “I also got you some of that gross green juice that you like and then of course a chocolate candy bar because I know it’s your guilty pleasure and chocolate makes everything better,” she grins. “Oh!” She shouts, jumping up off the couch suddenly, making Christen fall forward and frown over at the girl. </p>
<p>Tobin just excitedly runs into the kitchen and grabs something out of a bag and puts it behind her back before practically skipping over to Christen, a wide grin on her face. </p>
<p>Christen gives her a suspicious look and can’t help but giggle, “Whatcha got there?” </p>
<p>Tobin grins even wider and pulls a stuffed dog out from behind her back. “For you,” she says, sitting next to Christen and handing it over to her. “So you have something to cuddle when I’m not here,” she tells her with a smile. “I know how much of a cuddle monster you are, even if you try and deny it,” she says with a cheeky grin.</p>
<p>Christen bites her lip, trying to suppress a huge smile and shakes her head, looking up at Tobin, completely smitten, “I love you,” she can’t help but say, surprising herself and also Tobin.</p>
<p>She had come to the realization last night, but she hadn’t expected to just blurt it out this quickly. But honestly it just came out and it felt completely natural.</p>
<p>Another smile makes its way onto Tobin’s face and she looks into Christen’s eyes, wanting to make sure that she’d heard her right and that Christen had actually meant to say it. She can’t stop herself from grinning wider when she sees no fear or regret in Christen’s eyes, and just pure love. “Yeah?” She questions breathlessly, still not quite believing it. </p>
<p>Christen grins at her and nods her head, “Yeah,” she confirms. </p>
<p>And Tobin can’t help herself anymore, she practically lunges at Christen, pressing their lips together for a passionate kiss. </p>
<p>After a moment, Tobin pulls away and cups Christen’s face with her hands, unable to wipe the wide grin off of her face as she just stares into Christen’s eyes, still not fully believing that this woman in front of her actually loves her back. And honestly she can’t decide if she wants to kiss Christen again or just keep staring into those gorgeous green eyes forever. But the urge to kiss her again wins out, and she presses their lips together, hungrily. </p>
<p>“Mmm, I’m sorry,” Tobin says after a moment, pulling away reluctantly, but pressing a few quick kisses to Christens lips, not being able to help herself. “I know you have a headache,” she tells her in between kisses. “I just can’t stop kissing you,” she informs her, kissing her again. </p>
<p>Christen just giggles against Tobin’s lips, feeling just as happy as Tobin seems to be in this moment. “I don’t mind,” she tells her in between Tobin’s kisses. But then she puts a hand on Tobin’s neck, keeping her away for a moment so she can look at her. “Besides, I hear sex is the best cure for a headache,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin grins at her but then raises a brow, “I think that’s a myth,” she informs her.</p>
<p>“One way to find out,” Christen grins. </p>
<p>Tobin just gives her a wicked grin and leans in again, kissing her hard. She lays back on the couch, pulling Christen on top of her, however they hear a crunching noise making them pull away from each other. </p>
<p>Christen grimaces, already knowing what the sound is. </p>
<p>Tobin sits up a bit and pulls the bag of chips out from under her and tosses them onto the ground, making them spill out a bit more. “Tobin!” Christen shouts, giving her a disapproving look. “Oh my god,” she groans, when she sees Tobin reaching underneath her and sweeping out more chips from underneath her back onto the floor. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs, “You love me,” she says with a cheeky grin. </p>
<p>“Against my better judgement, obviously,” Christen rolls her eyes. </p>
<p>Tobin gasps at her and Christen just bursts out laughing. </p>
<p>“I do love you,” Christen says, her laughter dying down as she looks down at Tobin seriously, a little smile on her face. </p>
<p>“I love you too,” Tobin smiles back softly.</p>
<p>Christen kisses Tobin quickly and then climbs off of her. And Tobin pouts, trying to pull Christen back, but she gets away from her, standing up and backing away so that Tobin can’t reach her. “Now clean that up and meet me in the bedroom,” she says, giving her a mischievous grin. </p>
<p>Tobin whines, “I’ll clean it up later, I promise,” she tries. </p>
<p>“Now, Tobin,” Christen says in a firm tone, pointing a finger at her. </p>
<p>“Oh you’re CEO, boss voice,” she says with a smirk. “You know I love it when you talk to me like that,” she tells her, standing up from the couch and sauntering over to Christen with a smirk. She wraps her arms around Christen’s waist, sliding her hands down to cup her ass, giving it a firm squeeze. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen says, trying to sound firm, but groans when Tobin starts kissing her neck. </p>
<p>“Christen,” is all Tobin says in return, smirking when she knows that she’s going to win this little argument. She lifts Christen up, wrapping her legs around her waist, making the older woman gasp in surprise. She starts to walk towards Christen’s bedroom but Christen puts a hand on the doorframe, stopping her. </p>
<p>“We can’t leave those chips all over the floor and couch!” She says, giving Tobin a firm look. </p>
<p>Tobin just leans forward and places a kiss against Christen’s pouting lips. “I want you now,” she tells her. “Chips will be there later,” she says, leaning down to press her lips against Christen’s neck, sucking hard. </p>
<p>“Oh fuck,” Christen groans, threading her fingers through Tobin’s hair. “God, you know I love it when you pick me up like this,” she says, trying to sound annoyed, but really she’s just turned on. She loves seeing how strong Tobin is and she loves being in her arms. </p>
<p>Tobin just grins against Christen’s skin. She knows what she’s doing. </p>
<p>“Fuck, okay fine,” Christen groans, when Tobin nibbles on her earlobe. She lets her hand drop down from the wall and lets Tobin carry her the rest of the way to her bedroom. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“How’s your head now?” Tobin asks with a smirk, glancing over at Christen who is breathing heavily next to her.</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Christen mumbles. “I just feel all tingly,” she tells her with a breathy chuckle. </p>
<p>Tobin grins and rolls over, hovering above Christen. She bites her lip, taking in Christen’s appearance, her hair wildly sprawled out on the pillow beneath her, her lips all swollen and red. “Fuck you’re so sexy,” she can’t help but say. “I love you so much,” she says, not being able to stop saying it now. </p>
<p>Christen smiles softly at her, reaching up and caressing Tobin’s cheek with her hand, “I love you too,” she replies softly. </p>
<p>Tobin leans down and kisses her again, but pulls away after a couple of minutes. “Are you hungry? Do you want your soup now?” She asks her. </p>
<p>“No, I just want you,” Christen replies, pulling Tobin back down to her.</p>
<p>But Tobin pulls away again, “Have you eaten anything today? You need to eat, babe,” she says with furrowed brows. “It’s not going to help your migraine for you to go all day without eating,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen sighs but nods her head, “I know,” she agrees. “I guess this is the first time today that the thought of food hasn’t made me feel like vomiting,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“I’ll go warm it up for you,” Tobin tells her before kissing her one last time and then climbing off the bed. She throws her button up back on and then turns to see Christen getting out of bed as well. “No, you stay here,” she instructs her. “I’ll bring it to you,” she tells her with a smile.</p>
<p>“You’re sweet but I can come with you,” she assures her. “And I still need to clean up the living room,” she reminds her, raising an unimpressed brow at Tobin for not letting her clean it up earlier. </p>
<p>“No,” Tobin shakes her head. “I’ll clean that up too,” she assures her. “Just stay here and relax. I’ll bring you your soup and then I’ll run a bubble bath for you and I’ll clean up the living room while you just relax,” she says, putting her hands on Christen’s shoulders and guiding her back down to the bed.</p>
<p>Christen can only smile up at Tobin, “Why are you so perfect?” She asks with a dreamlike smile. “But I’ll only take a bath if you join me,” she tells her, standing back up from the bed and running her hands up Tobin’s chest and around her neck. “I just want to relax in a bath with you holding me,” she tells her softly. </p>
<p>“Okay, I guess I can make that happen,” Tobin grins, wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist. “But really, just relax and I’ll go clean up while your soup warms up, okay?” </p>
<p>“Okay, thank you baby,” Christen says softly, sitting back down on the bed. She grabs her phone off the nightstand but before she can open anything, Tobin snatches it out of her hand. </p>
<p>“No work,” she says firmly. </p>
<p>Christen frowns up at her. “I missed a whole day. I’m pretty sure I have a million emails and things to respond to,” she sighs.</p>
<p>“It’ll still be there tomorrow,” Tobin assures her. “Besides, you don’t need to be staring at your phone when you’re just getting over your migraine. You’re going to spend the rest of the night relaxing and then work will be there tomorrow,” she says, leaving no room for arguments. </p>
<p>“Now who has the boss voice?” Christen asks, rolling her eyes but has a smile on her lips. </p>
<p>“I learn from the best,” Tobin says with a cheeky grin. She puts Christen’s phone in her shirt pocket and then sends the girl a wink before turning to leave the bedroom, leaving Christen to hopefully relax. </p>
<p>Christen just falls back onto the bed with a sigh, and a blissful smile on her face.</p>
<p>She’s so in love.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and how the story is playing out so far! </p>
<p>Find me on tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter Thirteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, but honesty I haven’t had any motivation to write for some reason. I had to force this chapter out of me so hopefully it’s not complete crap lol </p>
<p>However, it is longer than any other chapter that I’ve posted, so hopefully that makes up for the wait! </p>
<p>Enjoy..</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobin is at her desk working on Ashlyn’s schedule for the upcoming week when she hears her name being called by an unfamiliar voice. She looks up and sees a familiar looking woman walking towards her with a smile on her face, but she can’t quite place who she is. But after a moment, she recognizes her as Christen’s older sister, Tyler. She’s only ever seen her in photos and twice briefly while Christen was FaceTiming with her, but she’s yet to actually meet her in person. </p>
<p>And she definitely didn’t expect for her to randomly show up at the office or approach her like this. </p>
<p>“Hey,” the woman smiles as she approaches Tobin’s desk. “I didn’t realize you worked here,” she says with furrowed brows. </p>
<p>“Uh yeah,” Tobin says, glancing around the office, hoping not too many people were looking in their direction. Or hopefully not too many people know who Tyler Press is or why she’d be talking to Tobin or even know her. She also realizes that Christen hasn’t told Tyler the whole story about the two of them or their situation, which just makes this a little more awkward. </p>
<p>As if it weren’t awkward enough meeting your girlfriend's family for the first time. </p>
<p>“What are you doing here?” She asks, standing up from her chair and not really sure what to do about the situation or how to talk to Tyler. Christen will probably have a heart attack if she sees them speaking in front of everyone. But she also can’t exactly just ignore Tyler or tell her to go away.</p>
<p>Thankfully, across the room it doesn’t take Christen long to spot Tyler and Tobin talking to one another, and her eyes widen at the sight. She’d been standing at Pinoe’s desk going over some new content for the website when she saw her sister approaching Tobin, putting her in a stupor as she watches them greet each other, almost as if it were happening in slow motion. </p>
<p>“Is that your sister?” Pinoe asks, looking up at Christen curiously. </p>
<p>“Uh yeah, excuse me,” Christen says, shaking her head, pulling herself from her stupor and quickly making her way over to her sister and girlfriend. “Tyler? What are you doing here?” She asks, quickly grabbing the woman’s arm and pulling her away from Tobin without even giving her a chance to respond. </p>
<p>She drags Tyler all the way across the floor and into her office, closing the door behind them. </p>
<p>“I told you that I was going to visit you soon,” Tyler grins at her, not really knowing what she did wrong, or seeing a problem. </p>
<p>“Uh yeah I know but I didn’t think you’d just show up randomly at my work,” she says with furrowed brows. “I figured you’d call and schedule a day and we’d just get dinner or something,” she tells her with a frown. </p>
<p>“Oh sorry,” Tyler shrugs, sitting down in the chair across from Christen’s desk. “I had the day off and I’ve been wanting to come and see you. And to meet Tobin,” she says with a smile. “I didn’t realize she works for you,” she adds raising a brow at her sister. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen sighs, rubbing her temples. “She’s Ashlyn’s assistant,” she informs her, knowing she can’t avoid telling her her secret any longer. </p>
<p>Tyler just nods, her eyes still narrowed at Christen, “Never took you for a sleeping with the assistant kind of woman,” she says, slightly teasing her sister. Though, she’s also a little concerned about the situation. </p>
<p>But Christen doesn’t really find it funny and just lets out a huff. “It’s not like that,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “She didn’t work here when we first met,” she tells her.</p>
<p>“So you hired her so you could have a fuck buddy around the office?” Tyler asks, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>“Tyler,” Christen says, rolling her eyes, not really finding this situation at all amusing. “I didn’t even know that I was hiring her,” she starts to explain. “I let Ashlyn have full control over who she wants as her assistant. I mean technically I okay’d it but I didn’t realize who exactly I was approving,” she tells her. “I just saw her in here a few days later, and honestly I thought she was like stalking me or showing up to my work to surprise me and I got pretty annoyed that she’d do that and then she told me that just got hired,” she says. “It was just a bad coincidence,” she sighs, shaking her head. </p>
<p>“Coincidence?” Tyler asks, a bit skeptical. “You sure she didn’t sleep with you to get a job here?” </p>
<p>“What? No,” Christen says, giving her sister a glare. “Tobin isn’t like that,” she assures her. “She didn’t even realize that I owned the magazine,” she informs her. “She was surprised too,” she adds.</p>
<p>“So everyone is just cool with that?” Tyler asks with furrowed brows. “I mean, aren’t there rules against this kind of thing?” </p>
<p>“There are rules,” Christen nods, slowly. “And nobody knows,” she adds, chewing on her lip nervously. </p>
<p>Tyler’s eyes widen, “Nobody here knows you guys are together?” She asks, slightly surprised by that. </p>
<p>“No, they don’t,” Christen confirms. “So please just keep it to yourself and don’t talk to her again,” she tells her sister. “We can’t let anyone figure it out right now. We’re....I don’t know, we’re trying to figure something out,” she says, sounding a bit defeated because she keeps saying they are going to figure it out, but really there isn’t much they can do.</p>
<p>“Christen, you know that I just want you happy but- </p>
<p>“Tyler, please don’t,” Christen cuts her off, shaking her head. “I really don’t need a lecture, okay?” She asks with a sigh. “I know that this is stupid and I don’t need to hear it from you as well,” she tells her. “I’ve got enough people telling me how dumb this is including myself,” she adds.</p>
<p>“Okay, sorry,” Tyler says, putting her hands up. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” she adds softly. </p>
<p>“I know. I appreciate that, but we’ve got it under control,” she tells her, though it’s a complete lie. She feels anything but in control of this whole situation. Especially now that Allie knows which could possibly lead to Alex knowing and then she knows it’ll just spiral from there.</p>
<p>“Alright,” Tyler nods, still wanting to talk about it, but knowing better than to piss Christen off. She already looks pretty on edge and she doesn’t want to make it worse. “So can we go and get lunch or something?” She asks, trying to change the subject. </p>
<p>Christen glances at the clock and sees that it’s a little earlier than she normally takes her lunch break. However, she doesn’t have any meetings or anything too pressing to do right now that she can’t do later. “Yeah, we can do that,” she says with a nod. “Let me just finish up some things and talk to my assistant and let her know that I’m leaving,” she says, standing up from her seat. “Just stay here and don’t talk to anyone,” she says, pointing a finger at her older sister. </p>
<p>Tyler rolls her eyes, but nods her head. It’s not like she’s going to go and blurt out to the whole office that Christen and Tobin are in a relationship, but she also knows that her staying put will help Christen relax at least slightly. </p>
<p>Christen walks out of her office and spots Mal across the room talking to some of the junior writers, Rose and Sam. But as soon as Mal spots her, she stands up straight and quickly rushes away from them like she hadn’t been having some personal conversations or goofing off with her friends. </p>
<p>It just makes Christen chuckle because it’s not like she’d ever get Mal in trouble for having a conversation with her friends occasionally. They all get their work done and do it well, at that. She’s not really sure why they’d think she would be that strict, but she supposes that it’s a good thing they respect her enough to not just always slack off in front of her. </p>
<p>“Hey Mal,” Christen smiles, when she sees the nervous look on the girl’s face. “I’m going to take lunch a bit earlier today, okay?” She informs her. “I’ll be back in plenty of time for the meeting at 1. But if anything at all comes up that needs my attention please call me, okay? And I mean anything,” she says, feeling the need to emphasize her words.</p>
<p>“Yes, of course,” Mal nods obediently. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Christen says and then glances over at Tobin who is also watching her and clearly overheard their conversation. She really wishes that she could invite Tobin to lunch with them but she knows that she can’t. Plus, it’ll probably be good to talk to her sister about all of this a bit more before she lets them meet and talk to each other. </p>
<p>So she just gives Tobin a little smile before turning back around to walk back to her office to finish up a few things and grab Tyler. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“So how do you know Tyler?” Ashlyn asks curiously, coming out of her office to sit down next to Tobin at her desk. </p>
<p>“What?” Tobin asks, swallowing hard. She’d heard the question but she’s trying to give herself a little time to think of an answer and also, the question had caught her off guard. She’d hoped that nobody had really paid attention to the way that Tyler had come up and greeted her like she knew her. Or just that nobody would really think too much into it. </p>
<p>But obviously she was wrong. </p>
<p>“Tyler, Christen’s sister,” Ashlyn explains. “I’ve never even met her, just seen her in photos and stuff, but it seemed like she knew you,” Ashlyn tells her, looking at her curiously. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Tobin says, looking away from Ashlyn, and acting like she’s looking at something on the computer, just to avoid eye contact with her. “No, I don’t really know her,” Tobin shakes her head. “Uh, Christen told me that Tyler was a fan from when I played soccer,” she lies, feeling kind of proud of herself for thinking of that so quickly. “So I signed some stuff for her and said hi over a FaceTime call once,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>Ashlyn just nods, “Oh that was nice of you,” she tells her. “I forget you used to be a big soccer superstar,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Yeah well, I don’t like to think about it anyway so it’s fine,” Tobin says quietly. </p>
<p>“Right, sorry. I know it has to be hard not being able to play anymore,” Ashlyn says, feeling guilty for bringing it up. She doesn’t know all the details on what happened with Tobin but she does remember seeing that the girl had gotten a pretty bad injury and ended up retiring just when her career was getting started. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Tobin shrugs. “I’m doing better now. I mean it sucks but I have a good life now and I’m happy,” she says, looking back over at her. “I wasn’t really sure I’d ever fully be happy again after I got hurt and wasn’t able to play anymore but I’m actually really happy now,” she says, giving Ashlyn a smile. </p>
<p>“Well good. I know we’re all thrilled to have you here. I mean, I’m sure you’d rather be playing but you make a great addition to the team,” Ashlyn says, placing a comforting hand on Tobin’s shoulder. </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Tobin grins happily. </p>
<p>“What are you guys talking about?” Pinoe asks, nudging Ashlyn’s chair to the side so she can fit her own chair in and join in the conversation. </p>
<p>“Don’t you have work to do?” Ashlyn asks, rolling her eyes playfully at the woman, trying to act annoyed at her nosey behavior. </p>
<p>“Nope,” Pinoe shrugs. “I mean, probably but it’s fine,” she then says, waving a hand. “I’m waiting on Pressy to get back from lunch to go over a few things with her so that I can then go to lunch,” she informs them.</p>
<p>“Well we were just talking about Press’s sister. Apparently she was a big Tobin fan from her soccer days,” Ashlyn grins proudly. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah? That’s how she knew you?” Pinoe asks, giving Tobin knowing eyes. Like she knows a secret. It makes Tobin a little nervous but she nods her head, confirming what Ashlyn had said. “I guess she’s not the only Press who is a big fan of you,” she smirks. </p>
<p>Tobin just furrows her brows and doesn’t miss the warning look that Ashlyn gives Pinoe. “What do you mean?” She asks, confused.  </p>
<p>Ashlyn nudges Pinoe to try and stop her from continuing, but Pinoe ignores her and just turns to Tobin with a big smile on her face. “I just mean the obvious crush that our Pressy has on you,” she tells her matter of fact. </p>
<p>Tobin feels herself choke on her own spit and lets out an awkward cough, “What?” She questions with wide eyes. “She doesn’t have a crush on me,” she tries to say, shaking her head. </p>
<p>Pinoe just laughs, “Sure,” she says knowingly. “She’s always looking at you with those big heart eyes,” she says with a smirk. “It’s adorable, really,” she adds with a shrug. “She’s always so cold and standoffish to most people but she always seems to be smiling when you are around,” she further explains, just making Tobin’s heart rate pick up.</p>
<p>Tobin clears her throat again, trying to keep her composure but she knows that her face is probably either beet red or completely pale from how anxious this conversation is making her. She wants to be amused at the fact that Christen apparently looks at her with heart eyes, but she knows this is dangerous territory she’s getting into with her co-workers so she’s just nervous. “Uh...doesn’t Christen have a girlfriend?” She asks, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. </p>
<p>“Hmm, yeah, I suppose she does,” Pinoe says with a shrug, her eyes boring into Tobin’s once again, like she’s trying to see into her soul or something. But then she lets up and just smiles at Tobin, “I guess that doesn’t mean she can’t still appreciate,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>Tobin just swallows hard and starts stacking some papers, trying to make herself look busy, “Um, Ash, I printed all of the model’s contracts that have been signed,” she says, handing the stack over to Ashyln, trying to get the subject off of herself and Christen. </p>
<p>“Oh, thanks,” Ashlyn smiles, taking the stack from Tobin. “Everyone accounted for?” She asks, flipping through them. </p>
<p>“All but the one that had a family emergency come up and she won’t be able to be here. However, we’ve replaced her with one of the back up models that you liked from the auditions and her contract is in there,” Tobin confirms. </p>
<p>“Awesome,” Ashlyn nods, pleased. “Did you book the studio and get the contract from the photographer?” </p>
<p>“I’m doing that now,” Tobin nods. </p>
<p>“Okay, well we will let you get back to work and stop pestering you,” Ashlyn says, standing up and pulling Pinoe up with her. </p>
<p>“Fine,” Pinoe sighs, “Oh look! Pressy’s back, perfect,” she grins heading over towards the woman that just stepped off the elevator. </p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but look up at the sound of Christen’s name and seek her out. She’s a little relieved when she sees that Tyler hadn’t come back with her. Tobin just isn’t sure how to interact with her in this environment. She doesn’t want to make a bad impression by ignoring Tyler or acting like she doesn’t know her, but she also knows that she can’t talk to her like she’s her girlfriend’s sister. </p>
<p>And she really just wants Christen’s family to like her. </p>
<p>“Tobs you want to finish up later and come to lunch with me and Pinoe?” Ashlyn asks, pulling Tobin’s eyes away from Christen. </p>
<p>“Uh no, that’s okay,” she shakes her head. “I’ll finish this up and then grab something from the cafe,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Oh that’s right, you want to see your girlfriend,” Ashlyn grins at her, wiggling her brows. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen and she’s about to make a comment on how Christen isn’t her girlfriend but then she remembers Shirley works in the cafe. Ashlyn is talking about Shirley. The girl she is ‘dating’. “Oh uh...she’s not my girlfriend, but yeah,” she says, feeling a bit awkward. </p>
<p>Ashlyn just nods and goes back into her office, leaving Tobin alone. </p>
<p>And she does enjoy hanging out with Ashlyn and Pinoe but she’s not sure she’s up for any more awkward conversations today. The look that Pinoe kept giving her while talking about Christen was making her really uncomfortable. She has a bad feeling that Pinoe knows more than she’s letting on. Or maybe, Tobin is being paranoid but she really doesn’t want to find out. At least not right now. She just wants to keep avoiding and living in her little bubble with Christen where they’re safe.</p>
<p>With a sigh, she glances over at Pinoe and sees Christen excuse herself from the woman and glance over her way. The two of them smile at each other, but then Tobin quickly frowns when she catches Pinoe’s eye from behind Christen and sees the woman smirking at her, giving her that same knowing look. </p>
<p>She just shakes her head and tries to focus on finishing up her work and not worrying about what Pinoe may or may not know. </p>
<p>But after a minute, she feels her phone vibrating in her pocket, just distracting her even further from her work. She feels like she’s never going to get anything today with all the interruptions. And she almost ignores her phone, but decides to check to make sure it’s nothing important. </p>
<p>And she’s a little surprised to see a text from Christen. Sometimes they text during work but not very often. Christen is normally pretty focused on work while she’s in the office. And Tobin tries to be the same way.</p>
<p>She glances over at Christen’s office and sees her typing on her computer, looking like she’s busy at work and not on her phone. </p>
<p>Tobin just looks back down at her phone curiously. </p>
<p>Christen: Tyler wants me to go to dinner with her tonight. You can hang out at the condo if you’d like while I’m gone or you can go home. I know you are hardly ever there anymore, or go hang out with your friends since you never seen them anymore.. </p>
<p>Tobin: Okay. I’ll see if they’re up to anything. Have fun with your sister babe. &lt;3 </p>
<p>Christen: I wish you could come with us. I want you to get to know each other. </p>
<p>Tobin smiles at that. She’d wanted to go with them as well but she wasn’t going to assume or invite herself even if she could go out in public with Christen. But either way it doesn’t matter, because her and Christen can’t be seen out in public together. </p>
<p>She’s just happy that Christen had wanted her to be included in the first place. </p>
<p>Tobin: I wish I could too, baby. Maybe we can all hang out at your place for a drink or something when you get back from dinner? </p>
<p>Christen: Sounds perfect. <br/>Christen: Now get back to work. <br/>Christen: Or go to lunch, have you eaten yet?<br/>Christen: You should go on your lunch break.</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs at all of Christen’s responses and her obvious concern for her. </p>
<p>Tobin: I’m just finishing up some things here and then I’ll just grab something from the cafe. I don’t really have time to go too far away today. </p>
<p>Christen: Right, I’m sure your girlfriend will be happy to see you. </p>
<p>Tobin rolls her eyes and looks back up at Christen to see her frowning down at her phone. She partially finds the jealousy cute and amusing but she also is a little nervous that Christen is actually worried about Shirley. </p>
<p>Because she definitely shouldn’t be. </p>
<p>Tobin: I love you. </p>
<p>And as soon as Christen sees the text, she gets a big smile on her face. It makes Tobin’s heart flutter to see how just those words can make Christen grin like that. </p>
<p>Christen: I love you too. </p>
<p>And now it’s Tobin’s turn to grin widely. </p>
<p>Christen: And tell your other girlfriend I say hi. </p>
<p>Tobin just rolls her eyes again and looks up at Christen to see her smirking at her. Tobin just shakes her head at Christen, giving her an amused smile.</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Tobin walks into Christen’s condo later that afternoon, planning to just hang out there until her and her sister get back from dinner. Allie and Alex both had plans with their boyfriends so they couldn’t hang out with her and honestly, she’d rather just sit here and relax for the night, and also prep herself for hanging out Tyler and trying to impress her. </p>
<p>She’s a little nervous to be honest. </p>
<p>She knows this situation isn’t the best and Tyler probably already has her reservations about it all, even before really meeting her. And it also probably doesn’t help that Tobin is so much younger than Christen and doesn’t really have her life together yet. Though, she’s really trying and at least she finally has a stable job, even if she isn’t just an assistant barely making enough money to live off of.</p>
<p>She just wants to prove that she’s good enough for Christen. </p>
<p>Even if she’s not so sure she believes that herself, either. </p>
<p>When she walks into the living room she’s surprised to see Tyler sitting on Christen’s couch, watching TV. </p>
<p>“Oh hi,” Tobin greets, a bit nervously. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you’d be here. I can uh-...I can go,” she offers, scratching the back of her neck. Christen hadn’t warned her that her sister would be hanging out, but she supposes Christen didn’t know that Tobin was planning on coming over this early either and felt the need to tell her. Tobin had planned on going to her own apartment but decided she’d rather be here. </p>
<p>It’s getting to where Christen’s condo feels more like home than her own apartment does. </p>
<p>“Don’t be silly,” Tyler waves a hand. “I went and saw a friend here in the city and now I’m just waiting on Christen to get off work so we can go to dinner. I didn’t think she’d be working this late,” she adds with a frown. </p>
<p>Tobin just lets out a small laugh. “Yeah well, this is still early for her,” she informs the woman, sitting on the arm chair, next to the couch. </p>
<p>“Wait, do you live here?” Tyler asks, sounding a bit surprised, realizing that Tobin had just walked in with her own key. </p>
<p>“Oh uh no,” Tobin shakes her head. “She just gave me a key. I spend a lot of time here,” she shrugs. </p>
<p>Tyler just gives her a smile. “I see,” she nods. “She must trust you a lot to give you that,” she observes. “And to trust you in her home without her being here,” she adds, still a little surprised how much Christen has grown and how much she’s opened up to this woman. </p>
<p>She honestly never thought it would happen.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I like to think she does,” Tobin nods, not really wanting to speak for Christen. “Plus, she normally leaves before me in the morning and gets home after me so it was just easier,” she adds with a small shrug, trying not to make it seem like such a big deal. </p>
<p>Though, when Christen had given her the key, it had felt like a pretty big deal to Tobin. She of course downplayed it then as well, not wanting to overwhelm Christen with how big of a step it seemed to be in their relationship.   </p>
<p>They’ve at least gotten past the part where Christen refuses to even say they are in an actual relationship, but she still gets a little nervous about freaking the girl out, knowing how she’d wanted to take it slow. But honestly, they’ve done everything but take it slow.</p>
<p>Though surprisingly everything has felt like it was going at a natural pace and she thinks that Christen feels that way as well. </p>
<p>“So are you going to be joining us for dinner?” Tyler asks her curiously. </p>
<p>“Oh uh...I wish I could but...me and Christen can’t really go out in public together,” she says quietly, looking away from Tyler. She knows that’s probably not the kind of relationship that Tyler would want for her little sister and it makes her feel guilty. </p>
<p>“Oh right, I hadn’t even thought of that,” Tyler says with a small frown. “Well how about we go and get some groceries and I cook us all some dinner? I mean, I know that Chris doesn’t cook so unless you do, it’s probably been awhile since you’ve eaten a good home cooked meal,” she says with a small laugh.</p>
<p>Tobin just laughs, “Uh yeah, I don’t really cook either. I mean, I am a little bit better than Chris is but still not great,” she says honestly. “We pretty much order in every night,” she admits.</p>
<p>“Then it’s settled! I can run out and grab us some groceries because I already tried raiding the fridge only to realize you guys have no groceries,” she says, chuckling. “Is there anything you are allergic to or that you don’t like?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“Uh no, I’ll pretty much eat anything,” Tobin assures her. She of course has her preferences, but she’s not going to be picky or difficult when Tyler is trying to do something nice for them. “But, are you sure? I mean, I don’t mind if you and Christen go out and have a nice dinner together and then we can just hang out here, after,” she tells her, not wanting to ruin her plans. “I’m sure you wouldn’t mind just having Christen to yourself for a bit, either,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tyler just waves a hand at her, getting up from the couch, “I don’t mind at all,” she assures her. “The main reason I came out here today was to meet you and get to know you a little,” she tells her honestly. </p>
<p>“Really?” Tobin asks, a bit surprised at that information. </p>
<p>“Well duh,” Tyler laughs. “After Christen called me the other night, gushing about you, I knew that I had to meet you,” she informs her, sitting back down on the couch, giving Tobin a sincere smile. </p>
<p>“She was gushing about me?” Tobin asks, not being able to help herself from grinning. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah,” Tyler nods with a smirk. “She’s crazy about you,” she tells her honestly, grinning when she notices the bashful look on Tobin’s face. “And I have never seen my sister even have a steady relationship, much less be this head over heels for someone,” she smiles. “I knew that you were special and I want to get to know you,” she explains. </p>
<p>Tobin feels herself blush at the compliment and finds herself a little speechless. “Well, I’m crazy about her too,” she says, wanting Tyler to know how serious she is about her sister. “I know that this isn’t the best situation or the type of relationship that you would want for her, but I do love her, a lot,” Tobin says softly. “So I just want you to know that,” she adds, feeling a little awkward at the seriousness of her words, when she barely even knows this woman. </p>
<p>“I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical when I heard that you are an assistant at her company,” Tyler admits. “I just didn’t want you taking advantage of her to get ahead in your career or anything like that,” she explains honestly. </p>
<p>Tobin nods her head, because she knows that’s a reasonable concern. “I get that,” Tobin says. “But, I swear that’s not what I am doing,” she tries to assure her. “I honestly didn’t even know that she owned the company when we first met.” She tells her. </p>
<p>“Yeah, Christen told me it was a coincidence,” she says, using her fingers to do quotation marks around the word, which makes Tobin frown, feeling like Tyler doesn’t completely believe her. </p>
<p>“It was,” Tobin nods. “I met her at a bar a few days before I had even interviewed for the job and before I even knew anything about the magazine. I mean, one of my friends is a writer there which is how I heard about the opening, but honestly I never read it.” She admits. “I had no idea who owned it,” she starts to explain. “But, I do know that as soon as I saw Christen, I just knew that I had to talk to her and to get to know her. She was—is, the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen and I was honestly speechless. It took me a few minutes to even have the courage to say anything to her, and I have never had a hard time talking to women,” she says, a small smirk on her face. “But anyway, I finally said something random to her, that I don’t even really remember now but I do remember that she was very standoffish and honestly pretty rude,” Tobin says with a small chuckle. “She wanted absolutely nothing to do with me,” she laughs.</p>
<p>“Sounds more like the Christen I know,” Tyler chuckles knowingly. </p>
<p>“She looked like she’d had a bad day and I was just trying to make her smile. I wasn’t even really hitting on her at first, I just knew that I didn’t like seeing her look so upset and I wanted to try and cheer her up so I offered to buy her a drink and I was going to just be there if she wanted to vent or talk about anything,” Tobin explains to her. “And she just completely went off on me and told me that she didn’t need anyone buying her drinks and that she just wants to be able to enjoy her drink alone without strangers hitting on her,” Tobin says, amused, thinking back to their first meeting. </p>
<p>Tyler can’t help but laugh at the story as well because it sounds exactly like something her sister would do. </p>
<p>“I was completely caught off guard by it,” Tobin says, shaking her head, a small smile on her face. “I didn’t know what to do but I got an attitude back at her and told her not to flatter herself and that I was just trying to be nice and she shouldn’t just assume that everyone is hitting on her,” she explains, grinning. “And anyway, we bickered for a bit and then she left and normally I would have been completely off-put by someone speaking to me that way, but I don’t know...I just felt something. I felt a connection to her and honestly, I kind of liked the feistiness,” she chuckles. “I couldn’t stop thinking about her after that and luckily for me I ran into her again and at first it didn’t go much better. I was still pretty sure she hated me so I just left her alone and went to hang out with my friends,” she tells her. “It was actually my friends that pointed out that she’d been staring at me all night and sure enough every time I looked over at her, she was staring,” Tobin grins. “So I took my shot, and surprisingly she accepted,” Tobin informs her with a happy sigh. “I honestly was head over heels for her from the moment that I met her,” she says honestly. “And, I know that you know Christen so you probably know how well that went over,” Tobin can’t help but laugh. </p>
<p>“I’m sure that she completely freaked out,” Tyler says knowingly. “Tried to push you away and act like it meant nothing,” she continues and Tobin just nods. </p>
<p>“Yeah, basically,” she shrugs. “But, I suggested that we just be friends with benefits since we both enjoyed ourselves so much. I honestly didn’t think she’d go for it, but I just knew that I couldn’t not see her again and I would take whatever I could get,” she explains to her. “And then a couple of days later I showed up to my new job and she was there and everything just kind of exploded. I honestly had no idea that she owned the company that I was working for. I’d done research on Ashlyn since I would be working for her, but I hadn’t even thought to look into the owner,” she explains, hoping that she believes her and knows that she wasn’t sleeping with Christen because she knew that she was the boss. “And anyway, she told me we couldn’t see each other anymore since we were working together,” she says sadly. “I was heartbroken because I thought that there was actually something between us more than just messing around but I understood and I didn’t want her to lose everything she had worked for. I wasn’t worth that,” she explains, shaking her head. “So I tried to let her go.”</p>
<p>“So what made you guys start seeing each other again?” Tyler asks curiously. </p>
<p>“We just kept running into each other and we just had something between us that we couldn’t ignore,” she tells her honestly. “We both tried to pretend it wasn’t there and stay away from each other but neither of us were happy,” she tells her. “And then I tried going on a date with another woman and Christen saw me out with her,” she tells her. “She got up to go to the bathroom and I kind of followed her in there just because I wanted to talk to her and try and explain to her that I wasn’t really into Shirley. I had actually just been on that date to help Ali out with an article about this stupid dating app, and I just needed to make sure that Christen wasn’t upset,” she explains. “And anyway, she kissed me while we were in the bathroom and basically told me that she was jealous, and I don’t know...after that we just decided that we wanted to be with each other and we were both unhappy being apart. So we agreed to just keep it a secret.” She says, trying to sum up everything and not make it too long of a story, though she feels like she’s been talking forever. “I don’t think that she really expected for us to turn into something this serious. At first, she kept telling me that we weren’t in a relationship and that we were just having fun,” she says with a small shrug. “But somewhere along the way things started changing and...I still can’t believe it, but she fell in love with me,” she says, not being able to stop from smiling. “And I am so in love with her.” She says with a dreamlike smile.</p>
<p>Tyler can’t help but smile at the admission. “You’re right this isn’t exactly what I’d want for my little sister but at the end of the day I just want her to be happy and to be with someone who truly loves her and will treat her the way that she deserves to be treated,” Tyler explains to her. “And, I’m starting to believe that could be you,” she decides, giving Tobin an affirmative nod. </p>
<p>“It is,” Tobin nods quickly. “I love her and I want only the best for her and I’ll prove that to you as well as her for as long as she will have me.” </p>
<p>Tyler smiles at her and stands up off the couch, satisfied with her chat with Tobin. “Alright, I’m going to head to the store,” she says, grabbing her purse and keys.</p>
<p>“Okay, I’m going to clean up here a little,” Tobin tells her.</p>
<p>Tyler glances around the immaculate condo and raises a questioning brow at Tobin.</p>
<p>“Oh, I just may not have made the bed this morning after I got up,” she says with a guilty smile. “And I need to clean up the bathroom a little. I was kind of in a hurry this morning. I went back to bed after Christen left and I kind of woke up late after that,” she admits with a small blush. “Anyway, Christen will not be happy if she comes home to that,” she adds with an embarrassed chuckle.</p>
<p>Tyler just laughs knowing her sister all too well, “Well, it’s a little late to be making the bed at this point. You’re just going to get right back in it,” she says with a chuckle. </p>
<p>Tobin just stands up from the chair with a smile, “Try telling that to Chris,” she says, shaking her head. “You may not make it out alive,” she informs her, smiling.</p>
<p>Tyler just laughs, because she knows how OCD her sister can be and she’s sure that Christen and Tobin have already had this conversation. “I’ll see you later. Go and clean up so you don’t get in trouble,” she says with a smirk, before waving at Tobin and heading out the door. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>Christen walks into her condo that night, a little later than she had planned. She’s going to have to run in and change her clothes and rush to get ready to be able to meet Tyler at the restaurant. And honestly, she’s exhausted and not really in the mood to go out, but she never sees her sister and she knows that it’s something that she has to do. Plus, the quicker she gets ready and meets Tyler, the quicker dinner will be over and she can come home to see Tobin. Because it may sound clingy but honestly after the long day she’s had, she just wants to relax with Tobin and be in her arms.</p>
<p>When she walks down the foyer hallway, she definitely doesn’t expect to see Tyler in her kitchen cooking, and Tobin sitting at the bar, chatting with her. She had no idea that Tobin was even at the condo, much less alone with Tyler in her condo. </p>
<p>“Babe! You’re home,” Tobin greets her with an excited smile. </p>
<p>Christen gives Tobin a little smile accompanied with a curious look and then turns to her sister, “What are you guys doing?” She asks, a little suspicious of the two of them in her condo together, alone.</p>
<p>“Well, we decided to just have dinner here tonight so that Tobin and I can get to know each other,” Tyler explains with a smile and Tobin nods her head in agreement. “I went out and got some groceries since your fridge was practically bare,” she informs her.</p>
<p>Christen just nods slowly, still processing the information. This is definitely not how she’d planned on her night going. Not that she really minds, because she hadn’t really wanted to go out anyway. But now she’s got to prepare herself for Tobin and Tyler meeting earlier than she’d planned and without having time to prep Tyler or go over things to not bring up or say. And she doesn’t even know if she wants to know what they’ve been talking about without her there.</p>
<p>“How long have you two been here...together?” She asks, eyeing them, more than a little worried about what they’ve been up to together without her presence. </p>
<p>“About an hour or so,” Tobin shrugs and then reaches her hands out, making grabby hands at Christen for her to come closer. </p>
<p>Christen smiles and grabs Tobin’s hands, letting herself be pulled in between Tobin’s legs so that she can hug her. “Hi baby,” Christen greets softly, nuzzling her nose in Tobin’s neck, already feeling the stress of her day disappearing. And normally she wouldn’t want to be this affectionate in front of her sister, but honestly she’s tired and had a long day and just wants to be in Tobin’s arms. She doesn’t even care that Tyler is watching them.</p>
<p>Tobin kisses Christen’s temple and then pulls away just slightly so that she can look at Christen, “How was the rest of your work day?” She asks, reaching out to brush some hair out of Christen’s face. </p>
<p>“It was fine,” Christen says with a small sigh. “Had a pretty big company pull their ad space, but we’ll be fine without it,” she says with a shrug. </p>
<p>“Wait why?” Tobin asks, confused. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs, “Their values don’t align with ours,” she says rolling her eyes, quoting what they had said to her. “It’s really not a big deal, Tobin. It happens, especially with how diverse the magazine is and the controversial things we write about sometimes,” she tries to explain before Tobin can get all worked up about it. “I don’t really want to talk about work,” she sighs, not feeling up to getting into it any longer. She’d been dealing with it for the past few hours. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Tobin says softly, and then leans forward placing a soft kiss against Christen’s lips. “Well, are you hungry? Whatever Tyler is doing over there smells great,” she grins, keeping her arm around Christen’s waist, but turning to look at Tyler who is just watching them with a smile on her face, obviously happy to see Christen being so affectionate with someone and so happy. </p>
<p>“I’m starving,” Christen nods. “What are you making?” She asks, her fingers playing with the little baby hairs on the back of Tobin’s neck.</p>
<p>“Wild rice, roasted veggies and salmon,” Tyler informs her, pointing to everything as she talks about it. “I figure I’d stick to something healthy so that you don’t throw a fit,” she says, with a knowing look and then sends Tobin a wink, making the girl chuckle. And Christen knows they’ve been talking about her and had a whole conversation about her healthy eating habits. And probably how she’s always on Tobin’s ass for eating so terribly. </p>
<p>But she decides not to comment on it. She supposes she should just be happy that they’ve been bonding, even if it is at her expense.</p>
<p>“And, it’s about ready,” Tyler tells them. “You guys want to get the table set up?”</p>
<p>“I’m going to go and get changed,” Christen tells them, pulling away from Tobin’s hold. “You know how to set a table, baby?” She asks, raising a brow at her girlfriend. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Tobin says, rolling her eyes, but giving her girlfriend a grin. </p>
<p>Christen giggles and puts her hands on Tobin’s shoulders, leaning in and giving her a firm kiss before heading out of the room.</p>
<p>Tobin bites her lip, smiling as she watches Christen walk down the hallway into her bedroom, feeling happier than ever. She then turns her attention back to Tyler who is looking at her with a raised brow, “What?” She asks, blushing slightly.</p>
<p>Tyler shakes her head and smiles at Tobin, “I know you said that you loved her and all that, but it’s nice to see it,” she explains. “The way you look at her, I can tell how much of a goner you are,” she says, not being able to hold back a smirk. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Tobin sighs, “You’re right,” she says, propping her elbow up on the table and letting her chin fall into her hand. “I am a goner,” she can’t deny. “She’s just...” she starts to say and then stops and sighs, trying to find the right words, but not being able to. “She’s just so perfect,” she decides on saying. “I love her so much,” she says with a dreamlike sigh.</p>
<p>“I don’t know about the perfect thing,” Tyler dismisses playfully. “But, I’m happy you think so,” she grins. “And that you love her. She deserves it,” she says with an approving nod.</p>
<p>A few moments later, Christen reappears wearing some leggings, one of Tobin’s hoodies and her glasses, looking a lot more relaxed than she had a few moments ago. And honestly, the most sexy that Tobin finds her. When she’s just relaxed with her glasses, no makeup, and of course it doesn’t hurt that she’s wearing her clothes. </p>
<p>“I was wondering where that hoodie went,” Tobin comments with a smile, pulling Christen back in between her legs and wrapping her arms around the girl’s waist. </p>
<p>Christen just chuckles and pulls it up around her face, inhaling the scent of Tobin that makes her feel all warm and cozy. “It looks better on me anyway,” she informs her with a smirk, wrapping her arms around Tobin’s neck. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah?” Tobin asks, raising a brow. Christen just nods her head and Tobin grins, “Yeah you’re right,” she concedes, pulling Christen closer to her, letting her hands sneak up under the hoodie so she can feel the warm skin of her back. </p>
<p>“Alright, love birds, dinner is served,” Tyler interrupts, feeling a mixture of happiness and also a little bit of nausea watching them together. It’s also just a little weird seeing her sister being so affectionate. She loves to see it, but she never really thought she would. She’s just used to her sister being a little cold and definitely not really liking people touching her. </p>
<p>As they all gather around the table together, Christen glances between Tobin and her older sister, “So what did you guys talk about while you were here without me?” She questions, raising a brow at them. </p>
<p>“Not everything is about you, Princess,” Tobin winks at her, already knowing that Christen assumes they spent all of their time talking about her. </p>
<p>Which they mostly did. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes and gives Tobin a glare for the nickname. </p>
<p>“Yeah, Tobin and I were just getting to know each other,” Tyler grins. “Your name didn’t even come up,” she laughs, giving Tobin an exaggerated wink.</p>
<p>“You guys are both infuriating,” Christen sighs, shaking her head at them. </p>
<p>“But you love us,” Tobin grins, reaching over and placing a hand on Christen’s thigh. Christen just hums in acknowledgement giving Tobin an annoyed look, not sure she wants to admit to it at the moment, which just makes Tobin laugh. “Of course we talked about you babe,” Tobin informs her.  “You’re all I think about,” she adds with a cheesy grin.  </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes once again but can’t stop the little smile from forming on her face at Tobin’s overly sappy comment. “Shut up,” she grumbles, shoving Tobin lightly, and glancing over at Tyler with a small blush on her face. She’s not really used to being this affectionate with someone, much less being like this in front of her sister and she knows that Tyler is happy for her but it’s still a little weird and embarrassing for her.</p>
<p>But Tyler is just watching them with a big grin on her face, clearly happy to see her sister like this and obviously very happy. </p>
<p>“Don’t worry, I told her all of your embarrassing childhood stories,” Tyler says, sending Tobin a wink. </p>
<p>Christen just groans, “I don’t think I like the two of you hanging out,” she grumbles. </p>
<p>Tyler and Tobin both laugh, but then Tobin gives her girlfriend a sympathetic look and rubs her hand up and down her thigh, soothingly, not wanting her to actually get upset by all the teasing. </p>
<p>“Don’t worry, I didn’t get a chance to get to the good stuff,” Tyler assures her. “But, I did tell her about the time you brought home a stray dog and hid it in your room for a week before mom found it,” she says, laughing at the memory. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah, that was a good one,” Tobin nods, grinning at her girlfriend. “And I can totally picture it,” she adds. “I can see a little Christen stealing food from the kitchen and sneaking it up to your room to feed the little pup. Or stealing food off your dinner plate and shoving it in your pockets so you can feed her,” she grins, thinking it’s totally adorable to picture Christen as a kid. “I guess you’ve always been a dog person,” she smiles knowingly. </p>
<p>“Yes, definitely,” Christen agrees, trying not to feel too embarrassed by the childhood story. She may be cold with most people but dogs have always been her weakness. They’d never hurt her like people can. And they’re definitely more loyal than most people. </p>
<p>Not to mention just cuter and overall better than most humans. </p>
<p>“We should get a dog!” Tobin says with excitement, but then falters, when she realizes what she’s said and feels her face turn red, “I mean, you-...you should get a dog,” she backtracks, laughing nervously. </p>
<p>Christen clears her throat awkwardly and gives Tobin a cute little smile, finding her slip up a little amusing. “Well either way, I am way too busy to get a dog. Believe me, I’ve thought about it but I’m just not home enough to properly take care of one,” she informs Tobin with a small frown. </p>
<p>“Right, I guess that makes sense,” Tobin says frowning as well. Christen is probably right but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t suck. And Tobin wants to point out that she’s at the condo pretty often and she could help take care of it, but this is probably not the best time to have that conversation. And it’s probably too soon for them to be getting a pet together. They don’t even technically live together yet. </p>
<p>“Well Tobin practically lives here right? She could probably help you with that,” Tyler speaks up, saying what Tobin had been thinking but hadn’t wanted to say. “I mean honestly, I don’t know why you guys don’t just live together like officially,” she says with a shrug. “Seems like she pretty much lives here already,” she adds.</p>
<p>Christen just chews on her lip and feels her anxiety spike a bit at the thought of that big of a step. Though she knows they practically live together already, actually making it official is a whole other thing and she’s not sure she’s quite ready for that. “Well, first of all nobody can know that we are together so Tobin can’t exactly have the same address as mine,” Christen starts to say. “It would be a bit harder to hide if she lived here. I mean, she could never have anyone over and at work, she’d have to change her address to mine. It just wouldn’t work. Plus, she has a roommate and she can’t just leave her high and dry with the rent,” she explains with a slight shrug. It’s honestly all true and practically reasons as to why they can’t officially live together, but she also doesn’t want to admit that the idea kind of terrifies her. She loves Tobin but that’s a pretty big step and a more permanent commitment. She loves having Tobin over but Tobin having her own apartment to go home to is a bit of a safety net that Christen likes having right now. Plus, Christen is so used to being alone and she’s gotten to where she likes her space. She likes the condo being her space right now and only having Tobin over when she wants to but being able to have her privacy if she needs it. </p>
<p>And she knows it’s terrible to think that way but it’s just where she’s at. This is all so new to her and something she honestly never thought would happen for her. She’s just proud of herself for even being with Tobin and opening herself up to this. She needs to take it a slow place and she thinks that Tobin understands that. </p>
<p>“Well you’re going to have to figure something out eventually,” Tyler tells them, as if they don’t already know that. “I mean what are you going to do when you get married or have kids? Keep them a secret as well?” She questions, and Christen almost spits her wine out, her face turning white. Honestly, she’s starting to get a little lightheaded from this conversation. </p>
<p>“Tyler! We’ve been dating for a few months,” she says with wide eyes, the thought of marriage and kids right now being way too much for her to handle. She’s just recently accepted and felt comfortable with the fact that she’s in love and in an actual serious relationship. She’s not quite ready for the next step, and especially not ready for marriage and kids. She honestly never even thought she wanted those things so it’s not something she’s ready for right now or to even think about. </p>
<p>Tobin notices how pale Christen’s face is right now and she knows her well enough to know that she is one second away from a panic attack. She reaches over and puts a comforting hand on Christen’s thigh, rubbing soothing circles, trying to calm her down. </p>
<p>“I understand that and I’m not saying you are going to get married tomorrow, but come on Chris,” Tyler says, rolling her eyes slightly. “You guys are in love and it’s serious now. You’re not just fucking or friends with benefits anymore. This is leading somewhere and you’re going to have to figure something out. I mean where did you think this relationship was headed?” she asks honestly.</p>
<p>Tobin notices how Christen’s breathing picks up and she decides to step in, not wanting to overwhelm the girl or throw her further into a panic. “Tyler, you’re right. We are in love and this is something real and serious between us,” she says, nodding firmly. “But we are happy where we are right now and all of those other things are far off in the future,” she tries to tell her. “We’re just trying to live in the moment and not think too much into the future,” she explains to her. And she knows they do need to think a little bit about the future, but right now she’s just trying to prevent a panic attack. And it’s something that her and Christen need to discuss without Tyler butting in or stressing Christen out even more. </p>
<p>Christen lets out a breath and gives Tobin a grateful smile. </p>
<p>“Alright fine, I’ll lay off,” Tyler relents, not being blind to how worked up her sister is getting over all this marriage talk. And admittedly she knows she’s probably pushing this a little too far. She just never thought she’d see the day where her sister actually fell in love and was happy with someone and maybe she’s getting a little ahead of herself. But this also isn’t a normal situation and she just wants them to realize that and stop living in their safe little bubble and figure something out before it all implodes in their faces. “I just want you to be happy,” she settles on. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Christen says quietly, thanking her for the comment but also for the fact that she’s dropping the conversation. </p>
<p>Tobin moves her arm around Christen’s shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze and leans in placing a soft kiss on her cheek, before she turns her attention back to their dinner that Tyler had prepared. “Alright, how about we just enjoy this awesome dinner?” She asks, trying to change the subject to less stressful topics. </p>
<p>“Yeah, you’re right,” Christen nods, shooting her girlfriend another grateful glance. “Thank you for cooking Tyler, this looks great,” she compliments, smiling over at her older sister. </p>
<p>“Yeah of course,” Tyler waves off. “Tobin helped as well,” she adds, giving Tobin a little wink. </p>
<p>Tobin laughs and shakes her head. “No, I stirred some things,” she chuckles, not wanting to take any credit, knowing that she hadn’t been much help. “But Chris, we should totally learn to cook, it looks like so much fun!” She says happily, taking a bite of the salmon, and moaning in pleasure at the taste.</p>
<p>“Nobody is stopping you from learning,” Christen says, raising a brow at her girlfriend, having no plans to learn herself. She knows it’s something she should probably do but she’s never really enjoyed it and it always just seems to make such a mess. It’s just way easier to eat out or order in. Plus, she’s always been too busy to take the time to really buy groceries and spend time making food. </p>
<p>Tobin pouts over at Christen, “But it would be more fun if we do it together,” she informs her. “Come on, you don’t think cooking together sounds like fun? We can listen to music and dance! We can even cook naked,” she adds, wiggling her brows at Christen. </p>
<p>“Gross,” Tyler groans, and Christen’s face turns red. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen chastises, not wanting her to make comments like that in front of her sister. </p>
<p>“Sorry, but doesn’t it sound fun?” Tobin asks, giving her girlfriend a pout. </p>
<p>“Christen has never really liked to cook.” Tyler informs Tobin. “She never even had interest in helping our mom when we were kids. She preferred to just be catered to,” Tyler says, laughing. “She’d just sit at the table and wait for it to be ready,” she remembers with a laugh.</p>
<p>Tobin can’t help but laugh as well, “Oh, that sounds like my Princess,” Tobin grins, earning a glare from Christen for using the nickname again. “She hates when I call her that,” she informs Tyler with a mischievous grin. “But, I can’t help that it’s true,” she adds with a shrug. </p>
<p>Tyler just grins at Tobin, “It’s definitely true,” she agrees. </p>
<p>Christen just scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I don’t like this whole girlfriend and older sister ganging up on me thing,” she comments. Though, she doesn’t really mind it that much because she’s just happy that they seem to be getting along with each other, which makes her very happy. </p>
<p>“What? Are you going to tattle on us?” Tyler asks with a smirk and Christen just rolls her eyes again, having no comment to that. “Christen was the biggest tattletale growing up,” Tyler informs Tobin with a wry grin. “She was always sucking up to mom and dad and would tell them anytime me and Channing were doing something that we weren’t supposed to do,” she says, shaking her head. </p>
<p>“It’s not my fault you were always up to no good,” Christen grumbles, stabbing her salmon a little harder than necessary. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles and reaches out rubbing Christen’s back again, trying to give her a little comfort. She knows they may be teasing her a little more than necessary but she’s just glad that she’s bonding with Tyler. Plus, she’s pretty sure that Christen knows it’s out of love. </p>
<p>“Even in school, she told on everyone, all the time,” Tyler continues. “She was your typical goody two shoes, teacher suck up,” she says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“I was not,” Christen says, defensively.  </p>
<p>“Yes you were. Everyone always talked about it and called you a snitch. We couldn’t talk about certain things around you or do things because everyone knew you’d just go and tattle,” Tyler informs her. “And she always sat in the front row and tried to show off to all the teachers by answering all the questions and knowing everything,” Tyler rolls her eyes. “I wasn’t even in your classes but I always heard all about it because you were my little sister,” she informs her with a small eyeroll. “My little sister, the school suck up and snitch,” she adds, laughing. “That got me some popularity points,” she says, sarcastically, making Tobin chuckle. </p>
<p>“I wasn’t trying to suck up. I just did know everything,” she informs them, tilting her chin in the air. “It’s not my fault that nobody else cared to pay attention or actually learn anything,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Makes sense,” Tobin shrugs. “She is a genius after all,” Tobin says with a grin, leaning over to kiss Christen’s cheek. “Smartest person that I know,” she adds, proudly. </p>
<p>“Ugh gag me,” Tyler comments, rolling her eyes but then gives them a little smile. </p>
<p>“So the fact that she hid a dog in the house for a week is a little surprising after hearing that story,” Tobin says with a light chuckle. “Seems like she wouldn’t really be a rule breaker,” she adds.</p>
<p>Tyler just shrugs, “Well, she’s always had a bleeding heart for dogs,” she informs her. “I guess she cared more about the dog than breaking the rules,” she adds. “I was pretty proud of her when she did it, even though she was completely distraught when she got in trouble,” she says, laughing. “I think she really did think it was the end of the world. She claimed that mom and dad didn’t love her anymore and she wouldn’t stop crying. She made herself sick because she was crying so much,” Tyler reveals. </p>
<p>“Aw, baby,” Tobin coos, scooting closer to her girlfriend and wrapping her arm around her shoulders. </p>
<p>“They didn’t even end up punishing her because they were too worried about how upset she was. They ended up being the ones trying to comfort her and make sure she was okay,” Tyler adds, rolling her eyes slightly. “She was always their little golden child and she got whatever she wanted. Especially from Dad,” she says, sounding annoyed, but she gives Christen an affectionate smile, letting her know she’s not actually that mad about it. At least not anymore. </p>
<p>Christen just shifts a bit uncomfortably in her chair, not sure how she feels about all this stuff that Tyler is revealing about her. “I didn’t always get whatever I wanted,” she says with a small huff. Though, she knows that Tyler is kind of right. She was definitely a daddy’s girl, and he’d never admit it but she always seemed to be the favorite. “And anyway, I just didn’t like disappointing them,” she grumbles. “Not all of us like breaking the rules,” she adds, glaring over at Tyler.</p>
<p>“Says the one in a secret relationship with an assistant at her company,” Tyler fires back. </p>
<p>Christen looks a bit stunned at the comment and doesn’t really know what to say or how to respond to that, because it’s true. </p>
<p>But Tyler laughs, shaking her head. “Don’t get all angsty on me,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t so sure about the situation at first but I’m starting to see how good you are for each other and I can see how much you guys like each other. I’m totally on board,” she assures them. “I just never thought I’d see the day that you’d do something so reckless,” she adds. “I kind of like it,” she adds with a wink. “You’re normally so serious and boring.” </p>
<p>“I’m not boring,” Christen argues. </p>
<p>“She’s definitely not boring,” Tobin assures Tyler with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Okay, gross,” Tyler grimaces at the thought of her sister in a sexual way.</p>
<p>“That’s not what I meant, but yeah that too,” Tobin laughs, making Christen’s face turn bright red again. “I’d never even think that she’s an old lady,” Tobin says jokingly, nudging Christen who just groans in embarrassment. “She keeps up just fine,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Old lady?” Tyler asks with a chuckle. “Wait, how old are you?” Tyler asks curiously. She can tell that Tobin is a little younger than Christen but she’s not sure exactly how much. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Tobin says, realizing that Tyler doesn’t even know about their age gap and she just opened up another can of worms. “Um, I’m 23,” she tells her with a small wince. She thought about lying but she knows that would just be stupid because she’d have to learn the truth eventually. And she doesn’t need Tyler not liking her over a stupid lie. Though she really hopes she didn’t just make things harder on Christen. </p>
<p>Tyler just about spits her wine out, “You’re what?” She asks unbelievingly. She looks over to Christen with raised brows, “23? Really?” She asks, not being able to hold back her laughter or the amused look she’s giving Christen. “What the fuck,” she laughs.</p>
<p>Christen lets out a sigh, knowing she’s never going to hear the end of this. “It’s not that bad,” she tries to defend. “And Tobin isn’t like most girls in their early 20’s. She’s more mature than that,” she explains. Sure, Tobin has her moments that truly show her age but she’s not nearly as irresponsible as most people in their early 20’s. And she’s not one to go out partying or sleeping around like most people her age do. She’s actually committed and happy in this more domestic type relationship. Honestly, she’s better at the relationship stuff than Christen is. </p>
<p>“Hey, I’m not judging,” Tyler says, putting her hands up defensively. “But, I just keep being surprised by you today, Christen,” she says, amused. “First, I find out you are secretly banging an assistant at your office,” she starts to say and then notices the glare on Christen’s face. “Okay, in a relationship with, sorry,” she says, rephrasing her statement to not make it seem so meaningless. “And now I find out that said girl is like a decade younger than you. I just never took you as a cougar,” she smirks. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes, “I’m not a decade older,” she defends. “And I’m not a cougar,” she adds for good measure. </p>
<p>“Close enough,” Tyler shrugs with a cheeky grin. “So what’s it like having a young hot girlfriend?” She asks curiously, taking a sip of her wine. “Maybe I should find myself a hot assistant at the law firm,” she adds with a thoughtful look on her face. </p>
<p>“Okay, we’re not talking about this anymore,” Christen dismisses, going back to eating her dinner, not really wanting to get any more crap from Tyler over all of this. “I feel like you just came here to tease me and get on my nerves,” she comments. </p>
<p>Tyler just chuckles, “No, but it’s definitely been a plus. You’re just making it way too easy,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“So Tyler, you’re a lawyer?” Tobin asks, before either of them can say anything else. She just wants to try and get off the topic of her and Christen before Christen actually has a panic attack or passes out or something. </p>
<p>And also she’d like to get to know Tyler and not just the other way around. </p>
<p>—</p>
<p>After they finish eating, they all gather up their plates and head to the kitchen where Christen starts to rinse everything off in the sink. But Tobin puts her hands on Christen’s hips from behind her, “I’ve got this baby,” she says, placing a soft kiss on her girlfriends cheek. “Go and relax with your sister,” she says, squeezing her waist.  </p>
<p>Christen chews on her lip, not really sure that she wants to let Tobin take over cleaning up, just because she has a certain way of doing things and Tobin isn’t the best at cleaning properly. However, it would be nice to be able to go relax with her sister and not have to worry about cleaning. Plus, she knows that Tobin is just trying to do something nice for her and she appreciates it. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” she says softly, turning in Tobin’s arms and giving her a kiss. She then walks across the room to her bar setup and grabs a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses before joining her sister in the living room. </p>
<p>“Oh, breaking out the good stuff,” Tyler says with a grin, eagerly accepting a glass after Christen pours it. She clinks her glass against Christens and then takes a generous sip. </p>
<p>Christen takes a drink as well and then glances over at Tobin who is loading the dishwasher, but not rinsing the dishes very well before she puts them in there. “Tobin,” she says with a sigh, making the woman turn around and look at her. “You have to rinse everything off of them before you put them in the dishwasher,” she tells her, feeling a little anxious and just wanting to do it herself. </p>
<p>Tobin just frowns at Christen, “What’s the point of the dishwasher if you have to wash them first?” She questions. </p>
<p>Tyler can’t help but chuckle and raise a brow at Christen, “Fair point,” she agrees. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes and gets up to join Tobin in the kitchen. “You don’t have to wash them completely but you have to at least rinse them pretty well,” she tells her. “All the food and stuff will just get all clogged up in the drain or it won’t completely wash them and then you’ll just have to do it again,” she says, starting to take all the dishes back out. </p>
<p>Tobin grabs a plate out of her hand and then swats at her before she can grab another one. “Okay, I’ll rinse them better,” Tobin promises her. “Just go and relax,” she adds, nodding over towards the living room. </p>
<p>Christen sighs, “I think I’d be more relaxed if you just let me do it,” she argues. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her a crooked grin but shakes her head, not giving in. She places her hands on Christen’s shoulders and looks at her firmly, “Go,” she says, and then leans in kissing Christen quickly to make up for her stern and commanding voice. </p>
<p>Christen sighs once again but does as she’s told and heads back in the living room, turning to glare at Tobin when she slaps her ass as she walks away. </p>
<p>Christen sits back down and chugs the rest of her whiskey before pouring herself another, trying to relax. She knows she has a bit of a control problem and she’s really working on it, but it’s not exactly easy. She just gets really bad anxiety when things are done a certain way or she has to rely on someone else to do something. She likes doing things herself because she knows that it will get done right that way. </p>
<p>“Wow,” Tyler says with a smirk. </p>
<p>“What?” Christen asks, glancing over at her older sister who is just looking at her with an amused look. </p>
<p>“I mean, I can tell that you’re just itching to go in there and take over doing the dishes, but you’re restraining yourself. You’re actually trying to let her help and do it her way,” she says, and Christen just keeps staring at her. “I’m just proud of you. I can see that she’s having a good influence on you,” Tyler adds with a small shrug. </p>
<p>Christen takes another sip of her whiskey and lets out a small hum, glancing back over to Tobin who is diligently washing the dishes before she puts them in the dishwasher, actually listening to Christen’s advice. “Yeah, I guess she does,” she says, looking back at Tyler with a small smile. </p>
<p>“So really, what’s it like dating someone so much younger than you?” She asks with a smirk. “I bet she’s got a lot of stamina,” she adds with a wink. </p>
<p>“Oh my god,” Christen groans, her face turning red. </p>
<p>“What? We can’t talk about sex stuff? We’re sisters!” She says, laughing at Christen’s embarrassment. </p>
<p>Christen just grimaces but gets a little bashful smile on her face, “Well yes, she does,” she admits, hiding her face behind her glass. “Honestly, I didn’t realize how old I was until I started dating her,” she says, chuckling lightly. “She’s like...always ready to go and wanting to have sex and sometimes it’s exhausting,” she reveals with a laugh. </p>
<p>“Uh, you keep up just fine,” Tobin butts in from her place in the kitchen, obviously listening to their conversation. </p>
<p>Christen chuckles, “I fake it well,” she smirks, winking at her sister. </p>
<p>Tobin just about drops the pan in her hand and spins around to stare at Christen with wide eyes. “You fake it?” She asks with a face that almost looks like a pout and Christen realizes how upset she actually looks by that information. </p>
<p>“Aw baby no,” Christen is quick to reassure her, not being able to keep the little laugh inside at how cute Tobin looks. “I didn’t mean that. Those are always real,” she says, winking at Tobin. “I just mean sometimes I’m exhausted and too tired but I just power through for you. I just try and fake how tired I actually am,” she explains with a laugh. “I don’t want you to realize how old I am,” she adds with a grin. </p>
<p>Tobin smiles but it soon turns into a frown and she stares at Christen for a moment, wanting to say something but not so sure she should in front of Tyler. </p>
<p>“What is it baby?” Christen asks, knowing that look and knowing that Tobin has something on her mind. </p>
<p>“Um...I just...” she starts to say but then stops, not knowing how to word her question. “Do you...I mean do I make you feel pressured or like you have to do it, even when you don’t want to?” She asks nervously, fiddling with a dish towel in her hands.</p>
<p>Christen immediately realizes what Tobin means and her face softens, giving Tobin a warm smile, “No, of course not Tobin,” she tells her seriously. “That’s not what I meant,” she assures her. “I just mean I try and hide how worn out you make me so that I don’t look like an old lady and you won’t go trade me in for a newer model,” she jokes , laughing, trying to lighten the mood back up. “If I don’t actually want to do it then I’d tell you,” she assures her. </p>
<p>Tobin bites her lip and after a moment, cracks a grin, accepting the answer. “It’s okay,” she shrugs, walking over to Christen. “And I’d never replace you. I love you, my old lady,” she says with a smirk, leaning down to place a kiss on top of Christen’s head. </p>
<p>Tyler bursts out laughing and Christen shoots her a glare before huffing at Tobin. “Do not start calling me that,” she warns. </p>
<p>Tobin just laughs before heading back to the kitchen to finish up the dishes. </p>
<p>Tyler watches Christen for a moment and takes a sip of her whiskey, before deciding to ask her the question that’s been on her mind. And now after that conversation, she’s pretty sure she already knows the answer. “So Tobin knows about your ex?” She asks, keeping her voice a little quieter so Tobin doesn’t overhear the conversation this time.</p>
<p>Christen clears her throat and then takes another sip, starting to feel a little uncomfortable, “Yeah,” she finally responds simply, not really wanting to talk about him, or this. </p>
<p>“Everything?” Tyler asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I mean, I didn’t go into explicit detail, but yes she knows pretty much everything,” she reveals. </p>
<p>Tyler makes a surprised face and then just smiles at Christen, “You must really trust her,” she concludes. “I’m kind of surprised you’ve told her everything but I think that’s great,” she tells her. “I think that’s a big step for you,” she adds proudly. </p>
<p>“I do trust her,” Christen says. “I mean, as much as I can,” she adds quietly. </p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Tyler asks curiously. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs and looks away from Tyler, taking a little sip of her drink. “I just...I don’t know if I’ll ever fully trust anyone,” she admits. “And I know that’s terrible and I feel guilty for feeling this way, but I think I’ll just always have a little seed of doubt in my mind,” she explains to her. “I mean, Tobin is so sweet and I know in my heart that she’d never hurt me, but I can’t help but think ‘what if’ sometimes,” she says, shaking her head at herself. </p>
<p>“Christen, it’s okay to feel that way,” Tyler assures her. “I mean, you and Tobin are in love and practically living together, yes. However, you’ve still only been together for a short amount of time. You’re still getting to know each other. It takes a long time to build real trust in a person like that,” she tries to tell her. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I know,” Christen nods, not really in the mood to argue. She’s not sure if Tyler is right and eventually these doubts will go away. A part of her thinks that they will always be there, but she also knows that Tyler won’t understand how she’s feeling so there’s really no point in discussing it further. “Tobin, are you almost finished?” She questions, laying her head back against the sofa and turning it to look at Tobin, wanting her to hurry up and join them. She then notices how Tobin is loading the dishwasher, putting a few stray glasses on the bottom rack. “Oh god,” she grumbles, pinching the bridge of her nose. </p>
<p>Tyler looks back and realizes that the dishwasher looks chaotic with Tobin just fitting things where she could with no actual strategy and definitely not the best way to do it and she just starts laughing, knowing that it’s bugging the crap out of Christen. “Just let her do it,” she tells her sister knowingly. </p>
<p>“But that’s not how you load a dishwasher. It’s not going to clean them-</p>
<p>“She’s doing something nice for you and she’s trying. Don’t criticize her,” Tyler reminds her, not wanting to watch them get in an argument over this. She also knows it’ll be good to see Christen give up some control for once and just let things happen. </p>
<p>“Tobin,” Christen calls out, making Tyler glare at her for not listening to her.</p>
<p>“Yes?” Tobin asks, turning to look at Christen nervously, like she’s expecting to be yelled at or get another lecture about how she’s not doing things correctly. </p>
<p>Christen just sighs and gives Tobin a smile, not having the heart to criticize her, “I love you,” she decides to say, letting it go. </p>
<p>A huge grin appears on Tobin’s face, “I love you too,” she replies happily, before turning back to the dishwasher with a little extra pep in her step. She closes it up and presses a few buttons, “Done,” she says, satisfied with her work, before joining Christen and Tyler in the living room. </p>
<p>She sits down next to Christen on the couch and smiles when Christen scoots closer to her, tucking her legs underneath her and draping an arm around Tobin’s shoulders, practically sitting in her lap. </p>
<p>“Thank you for cleaning up the kitchen,” Christen says, rubbing the back of Tobin’s neck with her fingers. </p>
<p>“You’re welcome,” Tobin responds with a grin, placing a hand on Christen’s thigh, giving her a little squeeze. She then grabs Christen’s glass out of her hand and takes a sip of it before giving it back to Christen. “What are you ladies talking about?” She asks, turning to look at Tyler. </p>
<p>“Nothing really,” Tyler shrugs, knowing Christen won’t want her to bring up her ex, which is what they had been talking about before Tobin joined them. “But Tobin, tell me more about yourself. You’re a photographer?” She asks, knowing Christen had mentioned some of Tobin’s photos and how good they are. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Tobin nods with a grin. “I mean, I’m trying to be,” she adds with a small frown. “It’s just kind of hard to get into at first,” she tells her. “I used to take some family photos for people that I knew and pictures of their kids and stuff like that but it wasn’t really making that much money because I didn’t have a huge clientele and I didn’t really know how to market myself, plus there’s a lot of competition and people doing that sort of thing,” she informs her. “But honestly, it wasn’t exactly the type of photography that I enjoy doing. I just figured it was better than nothing,” she shrugs. “And then I got a job at a magazine and it was pretty cool doing the shoots with models and stuff but honestly, the magazine I was taking photos for was super sexist and honestly went against everything that I stood for. I stayed for a while just because I needed the money but finally my boss had made one inappropriate comment too many and I just quit kind of out of nowhere,” she explains to her. “After that I wasn’t really able to find a job doing what I love and I was starting to get kind of desperate.” She tells her with a small sigh. “And that is when my friend  Alex told me about the assistant job at Christen’s magazine, for Ashlyn,” she tells her. “I wasn’t really sure I wanted to be an assistant but I knew I needed to do something to pay the bills and then I ended up doing some research on Ashlyn and looking at some of her styled shoots and I thought it was a really awesome magazine and I love what they’re doing. It was way different than my old magazine and honestly it was everything that I wanted,” she explains to her. “So anyway, I went for it and I’m super happy with what I’m doing but yeah, eventually I’d like to move up or even just become a contract photographer for them or something. I just love the kind of shoots that Ashlyn styles,” she admits with a smile. “It’s exactly what I want to do one day.”</p>
<p>Tyler nods and gives her a smile. “I think it’s great that you are willing to put in the work and work your way up,” she tells her proudly, knowing that being an assistant isn’t the most glamorous job, or what she really wants to be doing. “And you still have plenty of time to make a career for yourself,” she adds, remembering Tobin’s age. She doesn’t really expect the girl to have her life completely together that young. </p>
<p>“She started an instagram page to try and get some followers and maybe some opportunities out of that,” Christen informs Tyler, a proud look on her face. “Her photos are awesome. I don’t think it’ll be long until great things happen for her,” she adds, leaning forward and kissing Tobin’s cheek. </p>
<p>“Oh let me see!” Tyler says, pulling out her phone. “What’s the handle?” </p>
<p>Tobin takes the phone from her and searches for her page on Tyler’s instagram and then hands it back over to her, smiling when Tyler follows her before she even looks at any of the photos. </p>
<p>And then she starts scrolling, clicking on a few to look at them more closely, her brows furrowed as she goes through them all in silence. </p>
<p>And it makes Tobin a little antsy just waiting in anticipation for Tyler’s opinion. And she’s not really sure why she’s so nervous of her opinion but maybe because so far the only people who really compliment her work are her best friends and Christen, who are clearly biased. She’s thinking that Tyler will probably give her an honest opinion and not just try and make her feel good about herself because she loves her. They barely even know each other. </p>
<p>“These are really great, Tobin,” she finally says, making Tobin let out a breath, she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. </p>
<p>“Yeah?” She asks, just to be sure. </p>
<p>“Yes, really,” Tyler nods, looking up at Tobin. “Seriously, these are so creative and definitely look professionally done. Not to mention the style choice and the models are so diverse and not your typical fashion shoots out of vogue or something like that,” she explains to her. “These are real people and like real fashion that people actually wear,” she adds. “Honestly, it looks exactly like something you’d see in re-imagine,’” she says with a grin. </p>
<p>Christen just smiles and nods, “Yeah, she’d be perfect for the job,” Christen admits. </p>
<p>“So, I know you guys are being careful not to give Tobin any special treatment because you guys are dating, but are you also just not giving her an opportunity when she deserves it because you’re afraid of what people will say? Because that’s also not really fair either,” Tyler points out. </p>
<p>Christen just frowns because she hadn’t even thought of that. She definitely doesn’t want to go out of her way to not give Tobin opportunities because when people find out they are together she doesn’t want to worry about favoritism. “Maybe,” Christen admits. “I never really thought about it,” she admits. “However, there’s not really a spot for her right now anyway,” she then adds honestly. “And as far as outside contract photographers, Ashlyn normally picks them. I mean, she brings them to me for approval but she’s the head of the fashion and styling department so I let her pick the photographers for whatever vision she has and who she thinks would work best,” she explains. “But, I’m not stopping Tobin from presenting her work to Ashlyn or asking her for an opportunity,” she adds, turning to look at Tobin. </p>
<p>Tobin’s eyes widen, “Oh I don’t know if I want to do that,” she says, biting her lip nervously. “I mean, I don’t want Ashlyn to be put in an awkward position,” she says, unsurely. “I don’t want her to feel pressured to choose me or worried what will happen if she says no,” she explains. </p>
<p>“Well, I can tell you right now that Ashlyn is of course a very caring person and she’d never want to hurt anyone’s feelings, however if she truly doesn’t think you’re the right fit she’s going to tell you. She’d never sacrifice the magazine or her work just to not hurt someone’s feelings, even yours,” Christen informs her. “All I’m saying is maybe just have a conversation with her and express that you’d love to do a shoot for her one day if she’d be willing to give you the chance or if one comes around that she thinks you’d be right for. Just tell her you’d be interested in the opportunity if it presents itself,” Christen shrugs. </p>
<p>“Okay, I guess I could do that,” Tobin nods, still feeling a bit unsure about it all. She doesn’t want Ashlyn to think she just took this job to use her and get ahead. And she’d also promised her that she’d be committed to being her assistant and not trying to do other things or get distracted by anything else. But she supposes that it won’t hurt to have the conversation. Plus, if it’s Ashlyn’s doing then it won’t look like Christen is playing favorites. “But anyway, I really need to get out there and take more photos. I feel like I haven’t done it in awhile and I need new content for my page,” she tells them. “I wish I could put my photos of Chris on there. I know I’d get like a million likes,” she says with a wink. </p>
<p>“Well yeah, a millionaire magazine owner has got to get you some attention,” Tyler shrugs. </p>
<p>“I just meant because she’s hot,” Tobin says with a smirk. “But, I guess that too,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen rolls her eyes but smiles playfully at Tobin. </p>
<p>“Well if you need a model, I may know someone,” Tyler says, flipping her hair and giving Tobin a wink. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles, “I’ll keep that in mind,” she tells her sincerely. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>About an hour later a few more drinks in, the three of them are definitely feeling more relaxed and the conversations are flowing more freely as they talk about random things and joke around with each other. And Tobin doesn’t feel the awkwardness or the nervousness of meeting Tyler anymore. She feels like she can just be herself and say or do anything in front of her without worrying that she’s going to hate her. And she actually really likes Tyler, and she’s not just saying that in a ‘she’s my girlfriend’s sister so I have to like her’ kind of way.</p>
<p>And it’s a great feeling because she really just wants Christen’s family to like her and vice versa. She feels like it’s another step in their relationship, even if it is just one of her sisters and not the rest of the family. But she figures it’s just one step at a time. And maybe she’ll meet the rest of them eventually. And of course, she’d love to introduce Christen to her own family one day as well. But she knows that Christen probably isn’t comfortable with that quite yet. Besides, her family lives across the country so it’s not quite as easy.</p>
<p>“Alright, I think it’s time for me to head to bed,” Tobin says, patting Christen’s thigh. </p>
<p>“What? No,” Christen pouts, snuggling closer to Tobin. She has definitely had a decent amount of alcohol and she’s feeling a lot more relaxed than she normally would with a girlfriend in front of her sister. Not that she’s really had any experience with that. But she would have never thought she’d be this affectionate with someone in front of Tyler. But honestly, she’s kind of been all over Tobin tonight, cuddling her and kissing her and just saying sweet little things that she’s probably going to be embarrassed about tomorrow. But she’s also going to blame it on all the alcohol. </p>
<p>Tobin just giggles at Christen’s over affectionate behavior. She always gets a little more clingy when she’s been drinking. “We have to be up early tomorrow,” she reminds Christen, finding it a little amusing that she’s being the responsible one. “And I have to go in earlier than normal to get ready for a shoot,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen sighs dramatically but doesn’t loosen her grip on Tobin. “Okay,” she finally concedes, nuzzling her nose in Tobin’s neck. “I’ll be there in a minute,” she tells her softly. “Don’t go to sleep though,” she adds with a smirk, kissing Tobin’s neck gently. </p>
<p>Tobin just chuckles and looks over at Tyler who looks highly amused at an over affectionate and pouty Christen. “Okay baby,” Tobin says, turning her head to kiss Christen’s temple, though she definitely doesn’t plan on having sex with Christen tonight. Obviously not because she doesn’t want to but because she’s clearly pretty drunk and also her sister is in the condo and that’d be kind of weird. “Don’t stay up too late, okay?” She says, pulling away from Christen and getting up off the couch. </p>
<p>“Wait, I want a kiss,” Christen pouts, looking up at Tobin, a little hurt that she was going to go to bed without giving her a kiss. </p>
<p>Tobin chuckles again and leans down pressing her lips against Christen’s, and is a little surprised when Christen wraps her hand around the back of her neck, pulling her in for a deeper kiss.  </p>
<p>But after a moment, Tobin pulls away not wanting to get too carried away in front of Tyler and she also knows that Christen is going to regret this in the morning. “I love you baby,” Tobin says softly, placing a kiss against Chriten’s forehead and then standing back up. “It was really nice to get to officially meet you and hang out with you, Tyler,” Tobin says, turning towards the older woman. </p>
<p>“You too, Tobin,” Tyler grins, standing up to hug Tobin. “You guys are going to have to come visit me next,” she smiles at Tobin. </p>
<p>“Oh yeah, I’d like that,” Tobin nods, though she knows it’s going to take a little convincing to get Christen to go out there. She still hasn’t really told Tobin why she doesn’t like going home and Tobin hasn’t wanted to push it but she thinks it’s time to try and get an answer out of her. Especially now that Tobin and Tyler seem to get along well. “You’re staying the night tonight right?” She asks. </p>
<p>“Yes, definitely,” Tyler nods. “No way I’m driving home after drinking this much,” she says with a laugh. </p>
<p>“Okay good. I’ll see you in the morning,” she tells her, before giving Christen one last smile and walking down the hallway to Christen’s bedroom. </p>
<p>Tyler then turns to Christen with a smirk on her face when she sees Christen’s eyes following Tobin down the hallway, clearing checking her girlfriend out. “How you feeling?” She asks, obviously seeing that the girl has had a lot to drink and is feeling herself. She’s definitely never been this relaxed or carefree around her and Tyler finds it pretty amusing. And she just likes to see Christen be so happy and open without overthinking every little thing she does like someone is going to judge her or get onto her or something for just relaxing and letting loose. </p>
<p>“Good,” Christen grins, turning her attention back over to Tyler. </p>
<p>“Tobin’s really great Chris,” Tyler tells her approvingly. </p>
<p>“Yeah she is,” Christen replies with a dreamlike smile on her face. “God, I love her,” she sighs, falling back into the couch cushions. “I’ve never felt like this,” she admits. </p>
<p>Tyler bites her lip, trying to suppress an overly wide grin because she knows that Christen won’t want her to make a whole spectacle over this. “I can see that,” she nods, it having been pretty obvious how much Christen likes Tobin, watching them together all night. “I’m really happy for you, Christen,” she says sincerely. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Christen smiles back. “I really do want all of those things,” she then says quietly. </p>
<p>Tyler just looks at her confused. “What things?”</p>
<p>“When you were talking about the future,” she says, like it should be obvious. “Like living with Tobin and marriage and all that,” she says, waving her hand in the air a little ungracefully, her words a bit slurred. </p>
<p>Tyler’s eyes widen, “Really?” </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Christen sighs. “It’s so stupid that we have to keep our relationship a secret and that our love could be looked at as bad or cause one of us to lose our jobs or even worse,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Sometimes, I think about just giving everything up,” she admits, shocking Tyler. </p>
<p>“Christen you can’t be serious,” she says with furrowed brows. “You’ve worked so hard to get where you are, you can’t seriously just give it up,” she tries to argue. She wants Christen to be happy with Tobin but that doesn’t mean she thinks she should give up her life for her either. </p>
<p>Christen just shrugs, “I love my job and I’m proud of what I’ve done but...I don’t know,” she says, rubbing her face out of frustration. “Tobin is what really makes me happy. I mean if I lose her or can’t really be with her to keep my job then I don’t want it,” she tells her. “I don’t want to just be a workaholic and lonely anymore.” </p>
<p>Tyler gives her a sympathetic look. “Have you talked to Tobin about all of this?” She asks gently. </p>
<p>“Not really,” Christen admits. “We always say we’re going to figure it out and talk about it but we keep putting it off because we know that there’s not really any winning,” she explains to her. “And Tobin would never let me give everything up for her,” she sighs. </p>
<p>“And I am happy to hear that,” Tyler nods. “And she’s right, you shouldn’t,” she adds, which just makes Christen roll her eyes, annoyed. “Christen you’re not thinking clearly,” she tells her, knowing that the woman has had a lot to drink and she’s saying things that she wouldn’t normally. </p>
<p>“I am though,” Christen sighs. “I’m just tired of all the hiding and all of this stress. I just...I just want to be happy,” she says, feeling defeated. “Maybe it’s time I sell the company. I have plenty to retire on already and if I sell it, I’d be more than set for life,” she shrugs. “I mean I don’t need the job to be happy and honestly I could use a break,” she says. </p>
<p>Tyler just nods. “Okay well, it’s late so how about we just talk about this tomorrow?” She asks knowing it’ll be better to have the conversation when Christen isn’t drunk. “I think it’s time to head to bed.” </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods with another sigh. “I want to go cuddle with Tobin,” she adds.</p>
<p>Tyler just chuckles. “Good idea,” she says, helping the drunk woman off of the couch. “I love you Chris,” she says, pulling the girl into a tight hug. </p>
<p>“I love you too,” Christen replies, holding Tyler tightly. “I’m really happy you’re here. I miss you,” she admits quietly. </p>
<p>“I miss you too,” Tyler says, pulling away from the hug to look at Christen. “Please come home and visit sometimes?” She requests. “Dad misses you too,” she adds, knowing it’s a sore subject but while they're being sentimental she feels she should take advantage of the situation.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I will,” Christen just says, and then pulls away from Tyler, not looking at her. </p>
<p>Tyler sighs, because she knows that Christen still isn’t being truthful, but she’s not going to push it, especially when she’s drunk. However, she knows tonight was a huge step for Christen and for their relationship and she really hopes that it means they could all start to mend their relationships and that Christen will stop hiding away from everyone and pushing them all away. </p>
<p>“Alright, the guest room should have everything you need but just knock if you need something,” Christen tells her. “Night,” she then says, walking past Tyler and heading towards her bedroom, a little wobbly on her feet. </p>
<p>When she gets into the room she sees Tobin lying in bed on her back fast asleep, her arms and legs spread out taking up almost the entire king sized bed. Christen just giggles at the sight and walks over to the bed, throwing herself on top of one of Tobin’s arms, not even attempting to get into bed quietly or discreetly. She cuddles up to Tobin, wrapping an arm around Tobin’s waist and nuzzling her nose into the girl’s neck. </p>
<p>“Hey babe,” Tobin greets sleepily, getting woken up by all the movement and feeling Christen bumping into her and laying on top of her, not being still. </p>
<p>“Hi,” Christen whispers back, just snuggling up closer to Tobin. </p>
<p>“Did you have fun with your sister?” Tobin asks, running her fingers through Christen’s curly hair. </p>
<p>Christen just hums in response and nods her head. </p>
<p>“Did you wash your face and do your nightly routine before you crawled into bed?” Tobin asks knowingly, and Christen just shakes her head. “You should go and do that. You know you’re going to be mad tomorrow if you don’t,” she says knowing Christen and not wanting her to be upset in the morning. </p>
<p>“I just wanna cuddle you and go to sleep,” Christen murmurs sleepily, moving herself to where she’s practically on top of Tobin. “I’m sleepy,” she says, tiredly.</p>
<p>Tobin laughs and wraps her arms tightly around Christen’s body. She knows that Christen is going to be mad at herself in the morning for not following her nightly routine, but she’s just too cute right now for Tobin to argue with her or deny her anything. “Okay baby,” she concedes, placing a kiss to the top of Christen’s head. “I love you.” </p>
<p>“Love you too,” Christen mumbles, before letting out a tired sigh. “Night Toby.” </p>
<p>“Goodnight, my old lady,” Tobin can’t help but say, trying to hold in her laughter. </p>
<p>Christen makes a sound that almost sounds like a growl into her neck, and Tobin can no longer hold her giggles in. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Tobin coos. “Night Princess,” she amends, giggling again. </p>
<p>“I hate you,” Christen grumbles, too tired to really do anything more about it. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>The next morning, Tobin actually wakes up before Christen. And she knows it’s partially because of how much Christen drank last night, but it’s also because she has to be at work earlier than normal today for an early shoot and she’d set her own alarm. Though, she’s surprised that Christen is sleeping through it, even though she’d set it a little quieter and put it on her side, hoping to let Christen sleep a bit longer in case she needs it. Either way, she’s happy to finally wake up with Christen still in her arms. It’s something she never thought would happen. </p>
<p>She rolls over just slightly, adjusting her hold on Christen so that she’s on her side facing Christen. She leans down and starts placing soft kisses against the woman’s neck, “Morning baby,” she says softly, trying to ruse Christen from her slumber. </p>
<p>Christen groans and turns to bury her face further between Tobin and the pillow. </p>
<p>“It’s time to get up baby,” Tobin smiles at the obviously grumpy woman. </p>
<p>“No,” Christen groans, clutching onto Tobin’s T-shirt and holding her close. </p>
<p>“I know you probably don’t feel great but we really do need to get up soon,” Tobin informs her. “I mean, I need to start getting ready and you should get up soon if you want to do your yoga and meditate,” she further explains. “And I know you’ll regret it if you don’t get up and do it,” she adds. </p>
<p>Christen sighs loudly and rolls over onto her back, blinking her eyes sleepily up at Tobin. “I can’t believe I drank that much and stayed up so late on a work night,” she complains, rubbing her hands over her face. </p>
<p>Tobin gives her a sympathetic smile, “I know. But your sister was here and you deserved to relax and spend some time with her and have fun,” Tobin points out, not wanting Christen to be upset with herself. “Come on, we’ll get some coffee in you and maybe some ibuprofen and then you can meditate and do some yoga and you’ll be good as new,” she promises her. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen nods, though she’s still not very convinced. </p>
<p>“Go and brush your teeth and shower and everything and I’ll start some coffee and some breakfast,” Tobin tells her. </p>
<p>“You know that I don’t eat breakfast,” Christen groans, feeling even less up for breakfast than she normally does. The thought of it is making her a little nauseous due to her hangover. </p>
<p>“I know but you need something in your stomach today. It’ll make you feel better,” Tobin explains to her. “I’ll just make you some eggs or something light,” she tells her. </p>
<p>Christen nods her head and slowly starts to get out of bed, “Thank you,” she tells Tobin, giving her a little smile before walking into her bathroom. </p>
<p>Tobin just sighs and tries waking herself up enough to get out of bed and start making some breakfast. She hates having to get up this early and she’s normally not very productive and very slow moving but she knows that she needs to help Christen out a little this morning so she’s just going to have to get over that. </p>
<p>She makes her way into the kitchen and immediately starts a pot of coffee before she does anything else, making sure to put the setting on a big enough portion so that Tyler can have some as well. Though, she’s not really sure if she’s going to see Tyler this morning before they leave for work. She’s not sure what time the woman was planning on getting up or leaving. Or if she’s even leaving today. </p>
<p>She probably also doesn’t feel much better than Christen today. </p>
<p>She hadn’t drank quite as much as Christen did but she did drink a decent amount and they did stay up really late. For once Tobin feels like the more responsible one. Though, she’s definitely not judging Christen because she knows better than anyone that Christen deserved a fun, relaxing night with her sister. </p>
<p>Even if it was a work night. </p>
<p>Once the coffee is started, Tobin pulls some eggs out of the fridge that Tyler had bought yesterday, thankfully. She and Christen really do need to start going grocery shopping and trying to actually have more things in the house than some random fruit and little snacks. </p>
<p>Not that they live together of course and it’s not her kitchen or her right to say that there should be groceries. </p>
<p>But she could at least accompany Christen to get herself some groceries. And maybe Tobin will get herself some things that she likes just to keep here and eat. </p>
<p>Even though she doesn’t live here.</p>
<p>She pulls a pan out of the dishwasher and gets to work on some scrambled eggs trying not to think about how much she actually does want to live here. </p>
<p>Officially, that is. Because honestly, she pretty much does live here, just without the title. Titles seem to be the thing that freaks Christen out.  </p>
<p>And, she’s not a great cook, but she’s pretty sure she can at least handle some eggs. </p>
<p>A few moments later she hears footsteps approaching and looks up to Tyler walking in, looking about as rough as Christen did, though she smiles at Tobin when she sees her. “Morning,” Tyler greets, sitting down at the kitchen bar. </p>
<p>“Morning,” Tobin replies. “I’m making Chris some eggs, do you want some?” She offers, politely. </p>
<p>“Yeah sure, thanks,” Tyler nods. “You know what you’re doing over there?” She asks with a smirk, raising up to see over the bar and look into the pan that Tobin is stirring up some eggs in. </p>
<p>“I think I can handle scrambling some eggs, thank you,” Tobin scoffs but then gives Tyler a playful grin. “But really, you need to teach me your ways,” she tells her with a laugh. “I’m going to get Christen to start cooking with me,” she promises, making Tyler look at her skeptically. “But even if I can’t, I’d love to at least be able to cook for her,” she adds with a small shrug. </p>
<p>Tyler just grins at Tobin, “Well, if anyone can get her to do something it’s probably you,” Tyler says knowingly. “But, good luck,” she adds with a smirk. </p>
<p>“Here, you can go ahead and have these,” Tobin offers, putting some eggs on a plate. “I’ll just make Christen some more since she’s still showering anyway,” she adds, walking over to the fridge to pull some more eggs out. </p>
<p>“Grab the salsa that I saw in there yesterday,” Tyler tells Tobin while she’s in the fridge. </p>
<p>Tobin does as she’s told and grabs the little jar of salsa out, handing it over to Tyler before she starts to make herself and Christen some eggs. “So did you girls have fun last night?” Tobin asks after a moment of silence. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Tyler nods, her mouth full. “It was nice to hang out with her again and to see her so relaxed and so happy,” she says, once she swallows and then smiles at Tobin. “The last time I saw her we just went to dinner and I could kind of tell she didn’t really want to be there,” she adds with a frown. “But last night she was the Chris that I used to know, the one that I miss,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tobin just lets out a hum, not really knowing what to say to that. She’s pretty sure that Christen was never unhappy to see Tyler but she also doesn’t know Christen’s feelings or want to speak for her. “Well, I know she was really happy to see you,” Tobin assures her. “She told me last night that she had a lot of fun with you. And honestly, I could tell how happy she was to get to hang out with you. Obviously, I think she’s happy when it’s just us but there was something different about her last night. I think she liked having you around,” she explains to her. </p>
<p>“She’s definitely changed,” Tyler nods. “Well she hasn’t changed I guess, she’s starting to go back to her normal self,” she corrects. “The past few years have not been the Christen that I know and the one that I grew up with. She was just a shell of a person and you’re making her happy and helping her get back to herself and I can’t be more appreciative of you for doing that,” Tyler says honestly. </p>
<p>Tobin just shrugs, feeling her cheeks turn a bit red at the praise. “I haven’t really done anything,” she tells her. “I’m just here,” she says simply. </p>
<p>“You just love her,” Tyler corrects. “And it’s beautiful and it’s what she deserves.” </p>
<p>Tobin feels her cheeks burn even more and she just keeps staring into the pan, feeling a bit bashful and not really sure what to say. She doesn’t want to take all the credit for getting Christen back to her old self because honestly she hasn’t done anything. But she understands what Tyler means and she’s happy to have helped in any way. “So are you going back home this morning?” Tobin asks, changing the subject, not really knowing how to respond to all the praise that Tyler is giving her. </p>
<p>“I don’t know, maybe,” Tyler shrugs. “I was kind of hoping that Christen would want to have lunch again today,” she admits. “I kind of wanted to talk to her about some things,” she adds, making Tobin give her a curious look. “Just some stuff that she said last night,” Tyler informs her. “She was kind of drunk and I just want to touch base with her,” she adds. </p>
<p>Tobin’s look of curiosity turns into a look of concern and she bites down on her lip, resisting the urge to ask more about it because she doesn’t want to be nosey. </p>
<p>“Don’t worry,” Tyler says, noticing the look on Tobin’s face. “But, she was kind of talking about selling the magazine,” Tyler reveals, feeling like Tobin deserves to know and there’s no reason to hide it from her. If anything, Tobin may be of some help. </p>
<p>“She what?” Tobin says with wide eyes, dropping the spatula she’d been using. </p>
<p>“But, I’m pretty sure she was just drunk and rambling,” Tyler shrugs, though it doesn’t make Tobin feel any better. “She’s just stressed and worried about all of this stuff with you guys,” she tries to tell her. “But this company is her baby and her life, there’s no way she is actually ready to give it up,” she assures her. “But, I’m going to try and talk to her about it today, okay? And don’t say anything about it right now. I don’t want to make it into a big deal unless she was actually being serious,” she requests. </p>
<p>“Yeah, okay,” Tobin nods with a small sigh, her brows furrowed as she looks down, finishing the eggs, a lot racing through her mind. </p>
<p>“Morning guys,” Christen greets a few moments later, looking a lot more refreshed than she had just half an hour ago. </p>
<p>“Hey babe, feeling better?” Tobin asks, mustering up a smile and trying not to focus on what Tyler had just told her. </p>
<p>“A little,” Christen replies, walking over to Tobin and leaning in to kiss her cheek, before going back around the bar and sitting next to Tyler. “Hey, I didn’t think you’d be up this early,” she says, a little confused. </p>
<p>Tyler just shrugs. “I set an alarm,” she tells them. “I wasn’t sure when you guys would be leaving and I didn’t want to be in your hair or have you guys worrying about me,” she informs them. “I can go whenever you need,” she adds. “But hey, do you think we could get lunch again today?” She asks with a sugary smile, hoping Christen will say yes. And of course she’s not going to mention how she needs to talk to her because then she knows that Christen will probably blow her off. “I don’t go back to work until tomorrow so I was going to stick around a little longer,” she shrugs, not wanting Christen to think anything is going on or that she’s staying for a bigger reason. </p>
<p>Which she is, because she really needs to talk to Christen and find out exactly where her head is at. </p>
<p>And possibly have to talk her out of a really big mistake. </p>
<p>Christen looks a bit unsure and glances at her phone. “Maybe, but it would have to be a short one,” she tells her. “I took a longer lunch yesterday and I left earlier than I should have and didn’t get any work done last night so I’m going to be kind of busy today,” she informs her. </p>
<p>“Okay, we can do quick,” Tyler assures her. “Just tell me where to meet you and when,” she adds. </p>
<p>“Okay,” Christen says, then looks over to Tobin who is handing her a plate of eggs and she frowns. “I’m really not hungry,” she tells her with a sigh. </p>
<p>Tobin tilts her head and gives Christen an unimpressed look. “You need to try and eat baby,” she tells her in a soft voice. “It’ll make you feel better and give you a little more energy,” she tells her. “Oh! Speaking of, coffee is probably ready!” She says, spinning around to make her way over to the coffee maker. She pulls three mugs down, including her orange one that Christen had gotten her and starts pouring them all some coffee. </p>
<p>She then grabs the coconut milk out of the fridge and puts some in for Christen and hands her the mug. </p>
<p>“Tyler? How do you like yours?” She asks curiously. </p>
<p>“I’ll take some of that milk,” she says, nodding to the coconut milk in Tobin’s hand. </p>
<p>Tobin just nods and hands Tyler the milk and her cup of coffee, letting her do it herself so she can get the right amount. Tobin then grabs herself a plate of eggs and decides to just stand at the counter to eat so she can be across from Tyler and Christen to be able to talk to them easier. “Eat Chris,” she says in a firm tone, noticing that Christen still hasn’t taken a bite. </p>
<p>Tyler just watches in amusement, hiding her smile behind her coffee mug as she watches Christen glare at Tobin for telling her what to do. She’s just waiting on some sort of smart remark or an attitude from here. </p>
<p>However, Christen just sighs and takes a bite of the eggs, a scowl still firmly on her face even though she’s doing as she was told. </p>
<p>Tyler just gives Tobin an impressed look and Tobin sends her a wink. </p>
<p>“Alright, I need to go and get ready for work,” Tobin says after a few moments of shoveling her eggs into her mouth and chugging her coffee down. She puts her dishes in the sink as well as the pan and everything she’d used to cook. “I will clean that up later,” she promises Christen, quickly kissing her cheek.</p>
<p>Christen just eyes the dirty dishes, “This is why we shouldn’t cook!” She shouts after Tobin who is quickly retreating into the bedroom. </p>
<p>Tyler just shakes her head, laughing at the two of them. “I can clean it up,” Tyler promises her. </p>
<p>“You don’t have to do that,” Christen shakes her head. </p>
<p>“It’s fine. Plus, I’m the one inspiring her to be a chef,” she jokes. </p>
<p>Christen laughs and raises a brow at her sister, “Yeah, so you’re going to come over every time she decides she wants to cook and clean up after her.” She says jokingly. “But uh I’m going to try and do some yoga before I need to get ready as well,” she says, standing up from the bar. “I can just give you my key if you want to hang out. You can give it back at lunch,” she tells her. </p>
<p>“Okay, awesome,” Tyler agrees. </p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>“Hey Christen, here’s your mail,” Mal greets her, walking into her office and placing a pile of envelopes on her desk that she’d picked up at the mail center this morning. “And your coffee,” she adds, handing her a cup from the cafe. </p>
<p>“Thanks, Mal,” Christen nods, sitting down in her office chair and taking a sip of her coffee. She grabs the stack of mail that Mal had brought her and starts absentmindedly going through it while Mal rattles off all of her meetings and things to do for the day, looking for anything that may need her immediate attention. However, most important things or even just things in general are emailed to her now. She rarely gets anything important in the actual mail anymore. </p>
<p>She sees a random envelope that just has her name scrawled across it with no return address or name in the corner, which peaks her curiosity. </p>
<p>She furrows her brows and carefully opens the envelope, pulling out a piece of paper that just says, ‘I know your secret’. </p>
<p>She drops the paper on her desk, her face paling, and her heart racing in her chest. She grabs the desk as the room starts spinning a bit and she suddenly feels lightheaded. </p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Mal asks, walking closer to Christen with a worried look on her face. </p>
<p>“Uh yeah,” Christen says quickly, grabbing the piece of paper and turning it over before Mal can see what’s on it. “Sorry,” she apologizes, swallowing hard and trying to regain her composure. </p>
<p>“Are you sure?” Mal asks, unconvinced. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Christen says sharply. “I uh...I just have some things that I need to take care of,” she tells her. “Can you just make yourself busy for a little while?” She asks, and even she notices how uneven her voice sounds. </p>
<p>“Yeah sure,” Mal says, eyeing her suspiciously, obviously still a little worried. “I’ll check in with you later,” she says, before heading for the door. </p>
<p>“Can you close the door?” Christen asks, which worries Mal even further. She hardly ever closes the door. </p>
<p>“Sure,” Mal nods, and leaves Christen alone, shutting the door behind her. </p>
<p>“Oh fuck,” Christen says, feeling nauseous all of a sudden as she looks at the note again. </p>
<p>Who would send her this note? </p>
<p>And what the fuck is she going to do about it?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all for reading and sticking with me! I’d love to hear from you guys and see what you are thinking and how you liked the chapter! I need some inspiration right now and I always love hearing from you guys! </p>
<p>Also, if there’s anything you’d like to see happen in this story, just let me know and I’ll try and add some things that you guys suggest! </p>
<p>Find me on tumblr: dope1723</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>